Database Users

G2 Rootkit

I saw a story on BoingBoing indicating that the G2 has a rootkit installed on it.
boingboing.net/2010/10/05/t-mobile-sneaks-root.html
I am wondering if anyone can confirm this? I haven't received my phone yet, but that would suck.

yeah, any changes you make are reversed upon reboot

It is a very loose use of the term "rootkit", but from the owner's perspective, it is technically correct.

So is that it. Game over?

sinistersai4d4d said:
So is that it. Game over?
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Click to collapse
I'd wait for some credible evidence first. I haven't seen any at all yet...

I'm hoping there is no real merit to this and that the XDA community finds a workaround. I have faith in the devs here. The first one to get a working, solid root will definitely get a donation from me, lol.

My question is.. if the phone always resets the firmware.. what happens when T-Mobile pushes out the next OTA?
They obviously have a work around that needs to be exploited.

you know, when Motorola was doing this ****...everyone was like "no need to worry, HTC doesn't do this kind of stuff, and they make great phones"
What now? Seems like this is the future for sure

hydrogenman said:
you know, when Motorola was doing this ****...everyone was like "no need to worry, HTC doesn't do this kind of stuff, and they make great phones"
What now? Seems like this is the future for sure
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Click to collapse
I think in cases like these, their hands are probably tied. It's hard to say who to put the blame on. The carrier could've requested the block or they would've rejected HTC. Either way, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. The end user pays a monthly bill and has purchased the phone. Why are they now disallowed to alter their investment? I don't see how the carrier or HTC loses. Preventing us from tinkering will just make us grow to hate the carrier, the phone manufacturer or both.
Where are we supposed to go when Android gets completely locked down? That doesn't sound like open source to me and open source is what drove me to Android in the first place.

I'm sure the big difference with the OTA is the fact that it's:
1) a newer version
2) signed
Failing to meet these requirements probably prevents writing to the "permanent" memory.

Well this is quite irritating. Has this sort of thing been implemented on other devices? And if so, has XDA been able to root it?
I guess what im trying to ask is, if this is true, does that mean the G2 can not be rooted? Need to know because im purchasing one soon and if its impossible to root and get roms on, It would be a deal breaker for me.

Well, it can't really be impossible, but if it requires hardware mods or for the signature to be cracked...it may never happen.
Honestly, I'm happy enough with the phone that I wouldn't be upset it if it was never rooted, but of course I'd prefer that it was. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that one of the expert rooters can get the job done.

Yellowfrizbee said:
Well this is quite irritating. Has this sort of thing been implemented on other devices? And if so, has XDA been able to root it?
I guess what im trying to ask is, if this is true, does that mean the G2 can not be rooted? Need to know because im purchasing one soon and if its impossible to root and get roms on, It would be a deal breaker for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anything that can be engineered, can ultimately be reverse engineered. I'm sure once devs like Cyanogen and others get a G2 in hand, they'll have some sort of solution or at least a better explanation than what this website gives. One can only hope. If it turns out to be hardware-driven, that scares me a bit.

Wow, what a boneheaded move by Tmo considering that so many people considered the G2 to be the successor to the N1 as a dev phone.

Jorsher said:
I'm sure the big difference with the OTA is the fact that it's:
1) a newer version
2) signed
Failing to meet these requirements probably prevents writing to the "permanent" memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That shouldn't matter then.. remember the CLIQ and DROID were rooted by adding SU to a signed OTA w/o changing the signature bits in the compressed OTA.

iT cant be impossible cause then we would never be able to get updates so like everyone is saying im sure some Pro Moders / Hackers will find a way. Will it be as simple as other roots? Prly not but im sure at some point we will have it. I to am happy with the phone as is and rly the only thing that we are lacking (correct me if im wrong) is the built in teathering and becoming a WiFi hotspot. I can live without those things but some people might need them. At any rate my fingers are crossed =)

Kubernetes said:
Wow, what a boneheaded move by Tmo considering that so many people considered the G2 to be the successor to the N1 as a dev phone.
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Click to collapse
The G2 is not a dev phone and they dont have dev phones of the G2 available for purchase..not sure what your inferring? The G1 had dev phones as did the N1.. nothing on the G2 though as of yet.

Well, if this is the case, then the phone goes back today. *sigh* I really like Android 2.2 over 1.6.

genibus said:
The G2 is not a dev phone and they dont have dev phones of the G2 available for purchase..not sure what your inferring? The G1 had dev phones as did the N1.. nothing on the G2 though as of yet.
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He wasn't referring to an actual "dev" G2 phone...he meant the G2 was perceived as the next big "open" phone for devs to have just how the N1 was widely accepted/perceived as a phone for devs (being able to root, load custom ROMS, etc. freely) (ie. moto's execs telling disgruntled X owners that if they wish to have custom roms and such they should buy a google n1).

Jorsher said:
... I wouldn't be upset it if it was never rooted, but of course I'd prefer that it was. ...
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The problem with this position is if you have a need that T-Mobile refuses to meet, then you cannot override them.
But as others have pointed out, it can be reversed engineered. Physical access to the hardware essentially makes it vunderable to whatever security counter-measures you wish to invest in.

How to pressure bootloader unlock or unlock tool release

We need to put some heat under the atrix development to have the bootloader unlocked or a tool to unlock it ........ in more then one conversation they have stated then retracted the statement saying " if you want custom ROMS buy a nexus " what could we do as a community to fuel the realease of an unlocked bootloder or a unlock tool ........ as functional as the phone may be out of the box it always has much more potential then a factory standard ROM

clopes91 said:
We need to put some heat under the atrix development to have the bootloader unlocked or a tool to unlock it ........ in more then one conversation they have stated then retracted the statement saying " if you want custom ROMS buy a nexus " what could we do as a community to fuel the realease of an unlocked bootloder or a unlock tool ........ as functional as the phone may be out of the box it always has much more potential then a factory standard ROM
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Click to collapse
I don't think we'll really have much luck with that. I think the best route to go is to probably show what Microsoft has done (though I"m sure Moto is well aware): embrace the developers and work with them. Microsoft is learning from the developers, and vice versa. As much as I hate to say it, WinMo suddenly has a lot of potential. I don't see myself switching, as I hate the new version. It's something I'd expect to see in the mid 90s lol.

clopes91 said:
We need to put some heat under the atrix development to have the bootloader unlocked or a tool to unlock it ........ in more then one conversation they have stated then retracted the statement saying " if you want custom ROMS buy a nexus " what could we do as a community to fuel the realease of an unlocked bootloder or a unlock tool ........ as functional as the phone may be out of the box it always has much more potential then a factory standard ROM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you an idiot? "Put some heat under the Atrix development"...wtf?
The easiest way is to pay someone. Until then and im sure you are just looking for hand-outs and free-bees, you can wait. Or better yet, take the devs comment seriously, buy a Nexus.
These people do this kind of stuff on their free time. Be a little more grateful for the devs that we have working on the stuff they they are working on instead of trying to "Put some heat under the Atrix development".

ecapox said:
Are you an idiot? "Put some heat under the Atrix development"...wtf?
The easiest way is to pay someone. Until then and im sure you are just looking for hand-outs and free-bees, you can wait. Or better yet, take the devs comment seriously, buy a Nexus.
These people do this kind of stuff on their free time. Be a little more grateful for the devs that we have working on the stuff they they are working on instead of trying to "Put some heat under the Atrix development".
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Click to collapse
I took his comment to mean put some heat on Moto for an unlocked bootloader, or at least unlockable. I think the devs here at XDA are extremely talented, but I don't know enough about eFuse to know if they can even crack it.

SoberGuy said:
I took his comment to mean put some heat on Moto for an unlocked bootloader, or at least unlockable. I think the devs here at XDA are extremely talented, but I don't know enough about eFuse to know if they can even crack it.
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Click to collapse
That's what I thought as well. I don't think he sounded ungrateful. I think he means Motorola needs to be pressured to work with the dev community.

LockeCPM4 said:
That's what I thought as well. I don't think he sounded ungrateful. I think he means Motorola needs to be pressured to work with the dev community.
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Click to collapse
I'll have to 3rd? that I guess. I too read it as, pressuring MOTO not the devs here at XDA lol
Regardless, good luck with that. If you can some how get 1mil+ tweets maybe to Moto about unlocking it then they might hear us lol

I think AT$T will also have a say if the bootloader will be locked as well, and if they do. You know how that's gonna play out..

I hope Motorola/AT&T do not lock this one down. As long as this phone runs as fast as early reviews claim, the only two things I would like to see are Root, and the ability to side load apps.

LockeCPM4 said:
I hope Motorola/AT&T do not lock this one down. As long as this phone runs as fast as early reviews claim, the only two things I would like to see are Root, and the ability to side load apps.
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Click to collapse
+1
That's all I'm hoping for.

all I'm hoping for is that I can use the Atrix with my T-Mobile sim

T-mobile in the USA uses 1700 MHz for their UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+ service, while the Atrix supports 850 / 1900 / 2100 MHz. So it might work, but not for 3G/4G service.

Dont worry we will have an unlock tool soon :
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Ok my wording may be taken several ways but allot of phones had bootloader unlockers release before the phone so its not asking for freebies I'm just saying there has to be a way or something to get the ball rolling
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

I'll buy every Moto phone released this year if even one moto phone has a bypassable bootloader. Unless you get the signing keys from moto, you're SOL. You don't buy Motorola handsets; you rent them.

Put the heat on them lol
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App

Xstop said:
I think AT$T will also have a say if the bootloader will be locked as well, and if they do. You know how that's gonna play out..
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Click to collapse
What android phones on AT&T have a locked bootloader? The Captivate sure as hell doesn't. The aria doesn't either.
I don't see why AT&T would be 'the bad guy' in this case.

Hes saying the provider has a say in how the phone functions.
Just like how most providers block tethering unless you pay for it.
Hes suggesting that even if moto wanted an unlocked bootloader at&t could say "no we want a locked bootloader so people don't bypass our restrictions".

ApplCobbler said:
What android phones on AT&T have a locked bootloader? The Captivate sure as hell doesn't. The aria doesn't either.
I don't see why AT&T would be 'the bad guy' in this case.
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Click to collapse
Moto is the only manufacturer to use something like eFuse on a bootloader. Look at the Moto phones with the eFuse...and none of them are offered on AT&T. While AT&T may have some kind of input on the matter, that point is moot, as the process is one that Moto created, for their own reasons and purposes, and has nothing to do with the carrier(s).
What phones besides Moto's have anything like eFuse? None. The only ones with eFuse are higher end Android phones, phones that AT&T hasn't carried.

Which high end android phones use Efuses? And what could possibly be the reason for wanting to lock a bootloader that bad? Doesn't Google require all scripts and coding ect to be released by phone makers ?
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App

Motorola did say something about wanting to work with developers, so I'm hoping.. I'll sign an agreement, void my warranty etc..
Moto posted something about their xoom on facebook and at least half the people responding chimed in with something about wanting an unlocked bootloader, I'm not sure how much pressure motorola perceives from this, but I thought it was pretty good.
and unless a moto employee leaks the signing keys, I seriously doubt the bootloader will be unlocked, I doubt they messed up like sony did with the ps3.. unfortunately.

From Motorola Forums - GB and Unlocked Bootloader Post

The following was posted about 30 minutes ago on the Moto forums by forum manager Mark:
___________________________________________________________________
1,360. Jul 7, 2011 1:23 PM (in response to berzerker)
When is the next firmware update to gingerbread 2.3. Let's try to stay on topic, and have fun.
1. It's kind of a loaded question. "about to start" and "a while" mean different things to different people. No lie, it's difficult to manage everyone's expectations. I don't want to set the wrong expectations. Mis-interpretation just leads to frustration and further pessimism. I don't want to promise something that I don't have the control over delivery. I wouldn't expect any soak sign-up, at minimum, for another week. Soon as we get closer to soak I'll invite everyone.
2. As mentioned before we are working on a Unlockable Bootloader solution for release later this year where our carrier partners will allow it. This isn't specific to any product or carrier. Further details will be released as they are known.
Mark
Support Forums Manager
https://supportforums.motorola.com/thread/45654?start=1350&tstart=0
___________________________________________________________________
Interesting that the unlocked bootloader seems to be separated from the GB update in the second post. Makes it look like the unlocked bootloader will not be coming till much later.

CaelanT said:
Interesting that the unlocked bootloader seems to be separated from the GB update in the second post. Makes it look like the unlocked bootloader will not be coming till much later.
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Click to collapse
And even then, only when the carriers allow it. Will AT&T ever allow something like that? I say hell no.
Mark with Moto said:
2. As mentioned before we are working on a Unlockable Bootloader solution for release later this year where our carrier partners will allow it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

SoberGuy said:
And even then, only when the carriers allow it. Will AT&T ever allow something like that? I say hell no.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that all AT&T phones can already be unlocked with pudding, so it doesn't matter if they allow it or not.

SoberGuy said:
And even then, only when the carriers allow it. Will AT&T ever allow something like that? I say hell no.
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Click to collapse
AT&T sells android phones that already have unlocked bootloaders and I do not see them having a reason to deny the update.
With that said pudding will give you unlocked bootloader, once applied, FOREVER! so it will not matter at this point if they allow it or not

ClearFire said:
AT&T sells android phones that already have unlocked bootloaders and I do not see them having a reason to deny the update.
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Click to collapse
They do? Which ones? Last I checked, all sorts of phones have locked bootloaders. It's just that Moto's the only one who actually does more than simply lock it.

If the soak test sign ups started in a week, you could look at soak testing starting a week later, and if past updates are anything to go by, an update another week later if all went well. That puts the GB update at in the last week of July.
On the locked bootloader, a lot of people said they will not unlock until they get the official update enabling this, so although many of us are already locked, many people are probably getting screwed. Might push them to just unlock now.

Squeak22 said:
Except that all AT&T phones can already be unlocked with pudding, so it doesn't matter if they allow it or not.
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Click to collapse
In a sense, yes. A question, and then my thoughts.
While the AT&T bootloader can be unlocked now, is it possible (not likely, just possible) from a technical standpoint, that Moto could release a GB update that would prevent pudding from working? Say GB is release next week. A month from now a guy buys an Atrix, pulls it out the box with GB. Could that GB update prevent him from unlocking the bootloader? I think it's possible this could happen.
Further, my thoughts are that there is concern for future Moto devices on AT&T. We have a reasonable solution now, for this phone. What about future Moto devices? I don't think AT&T would allow such an unlock.

ClearFire said:
AT&T sells android phones that already have unlocked bootloaders and I do not see them having a reason to deny the update.
With that said pudding will give you unlocked bootloader, once applied, FOREVER! so it will not matter at this point if they allow it or not
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which phones on AT&T come with an unlocked bootloader? Or do you just mean that they sell phones that have bootloaders that can be unlocked? Big difference, IMO. HTC doesn't care if you unlock their bootloader. Moto says you need carrier permission. What makes you think AT&T would ever grant such permission?
As for the rest, see my questions in my previous post. I'm not sure on the technical aspects of it, but I can see this making a difference in future devices, and possibly future Atrixes that are sold...

To hell with Motorola is all I can say. How can you start a project with no planned end dates. this is utter BS.

SoberGuy said:
Which phones on AT&T come with an unlocked bootloader? Or do you just mean that they sell phones that have bootloaders that can be unlocked? Big difference, IMO. HTC doesn't care if you unlock their bootloader. Moto says you need carrier permission. What makes you think AT&T would ever grant such permission?
As for the rest, see my questions in my previous post. I'm not sure on the technical aspects of it, but I can see this making a difference in future devices, and possibly future Atrixes that are sold...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Inspire, Captivate, Infuse. Maybe a few more. These all allow for custom ROMs and kernels, and it's only Motorola trying to lock us down. HTC doesn't care, and the Inspire has tons of ROMs and kernels. Same with the Cappy. So why is it only Motorola if it's the carrier who wants it locked?

Sinful Animosity said:
Inspire, Captivate, Infuse. Maybe a few more. These all allow for custom ROMs and kernels, and it's only Motorola trying to lock us down. HTC doesn't care, and the Inspire has tons of ROMs and kernels. Same with the Cappy. So why is it only Motorola if it's the carrier who wants it locked?
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Click to collapse
I agree, they are just trying to think that there are fools out there who will believe there BS reasons.

Rootzwiki just tweeted that Droid 3 is coming with a locked BL as well....WTF!

munchy_cool said:
Rootzwiki just tweeted that Droid 3 is coming with a locked BL as well....WTF!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No way... Wow. Those Droid 3 users are going to raise a **** storm

Sinful Animosity said:
Inspire, Captivate, Infuse. Maybe a few more. These all allow for custom ROMs and kernels, and it's only Motorola trying to lock us down. HTC doesn't care, and the Inspire has tons of ROMs and kernels. Same with the Cappy. So why is it only Motorola if it's the carrier who wants it locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My theory on this is that carriers were willing to subsidize manufacturers' bootloader lockdowns that ensured the carrier bloatware would remain installed and stuff like tethering could be mitigated. Perhaps AT&T paid Motorola more than other manufacturers, so it's a matter of arguing over money.

Sinful Animosity said:
Inspire, Captivate, Infuse. Maybe a few more. These all allow for custom ROMs and kernels, and it's only Motorola trying to lock us down. HTC doesn't care, and the Inspire has tons of ROMs and kernels. Same with the Cappy. So why is it only Motorola if it's the carrier who wants it locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocked, or unlockable? If they are unlocked out of the box... I don't know. Maybe if presented with a choice (what Moto is doing), they would say no. But they wouldn't push for it up front. Maybe?? I don't know.
I still think they are just unlockable, and not unlocked out of the box. HTC allows for an unlock solution (my guess is so does Samsung). Not sure on LG. Moto decides to ask carrier permission.
I still see no reason why AT&T would approve such a thing. We haven't had a carrier-sold Nexus, and I'm not holding out hope we will. Look at how AT&T has crippled Android before: no sideloading, limiting apps, etc. And now you think they'll play nice with everyone?? LOL
I respect you, and I respect your opinion. I politely disagree. I don't think AT&T is the most advanced-user-friendly carrier (or dev-friendly, but we're not all devs here). Moto is certainly not the most dev friendly with the efuse and locked bootloaders. Combine the two and it's a damn mess. Shame, because I really like this lapdock feature that Moto wants to do more of.

Sinful Animosity said:
Inspire, Captivate, Infuse. Maybe a few more. These all allow for custom ROMs and kernels, and it's only Motorola trying to lock us down. HTC doesn't care, and the Inspire has tons of ROMs and kernels. Same with the Cappy. So why is it only Motorola if it's the carrier who wants it locked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, those have LOCKED bootloaders. They're just easy to get past. Moto's aren't.

NoNameAtAll said:
No, those have LOCKED bootloaders. They're just easy to get past. Moto's aren't.
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Click to collapse
because Motorola encrypts them with signed keys ...

NoNameAtAll said:
No, those have LOCKED bootloaders. They're just easy to get past. Moto's aren't.
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Click to collapse
Correct. Wife has Inspire and it's locked.
Have to create gold card to unlock it.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA Premium App

munchy_cool said:
To hell with Motorola is all I can say. How can you start a project with no planned end dates. this is utter BS.
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Click to collapse
Either way, WE already have an unlocked bootloader. So as far as I'm concerned I'll never get the GB update because I'll be too busy ditching Motorola altogether. The only moto left on this phone is the name under the earpiece..
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using the XDA App

thebeardedchild said:
Either way, WE already have an unlocked bootloader. So as far as I'm concerned I'll never get the GB update because I'll be too busy ditching Motorola altogether. The only moto left on this phone is the name under the earpiece..
Sent from my Motorola Atrix using the XDA App
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Click to collapse
yeah man, same here just waiting for the custom ROM's to come.

[Q] Bootloader unlock in comparison to other manufacturers

has anyone experience in the hassl of unlocking bootloader from the g2 or LG phones in comparison to other devices?
how is LGs policy for giving kernel source and unlocking bootloader?
i am a long time htc user and those things are very important to me. as i think about getting a new phone and switching from htc i want to know in advance and i have not found anything
thx

donky kong 017 said:
has anyone experience in the hassl of unlocking bootloader from the g2 or LG phones in comparison to other devices?
how is LGs policy for giving kernel source and unlocking bootloader?
i am a long time htc user and those things are very important to me. as i think about getting a new phone and switching from htc i want to know in advance and i have not found anything
thx
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A little late to the party on this one, LG released a few of its sources for the G2, we already have custom kernel development that just started brewing here lately.
As far as the bootloader, this device has a work around using Loki and it works fine. As evidence points that we can flash pretty much anything worth flashing including custom kernels.

Walter21026 said:
A little late to the party on this one, LG released a few of its sources for the G2, we already have custom kernel development that just started brewing here lately.
As far as the bootloader, this device has a work around using Loki and it works fine. As evidence points that we can flash pretty much anything worth flashing including custom kernels.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx i just wanted to know how the overall situation is. cause htc makes it a little difficult to unlock bootloader via htc dev website and there is no s-off . is there s-off on the g2?
with samsung its another story with odin and there are other problems.
i want to get an overall picture for the different manufacturers

donky kong 017 said:
thx i just wanted to know how the overall situation is. cause htc makes it a little difficult to unlock bootloader via htc dev website and there is no s-off . is there s-off on the g2?
with samsung its another story with odin and there are other problems.
i want to get an overall picture for the different manufacturers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What I would tell you personally is dont delay, carriers will likely be pushing security patches to keep out hackers and make it very difficult for devs to work around in the near future.
No need to worry about s-off, its never been discussed here which tells me it must not exits on this device. I have seen it on almost all HTC devices though.

Walter21026 said:
What I would tell you personally is dont delay, carriers will likely be pushing security patches to keep out hackers and make it very difficult for devs to work around in the near future.
No need to worry about s-off, its never been discussed here which tells me it must not exits on this device. I have seen it on almost all HTC devices though.
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Click to collapse
thx. i guess thats just ridiculous. i want steady updates for a year or so as i switch to a new phone after a year. the last year was just horrible on my htc onex+ with so little development and s-on
the carriers would not bother me as im on a contact free carrier, the problem is development is affected. and this is something i have on every phone i buy.
im vacillating between nexus 5 and g2 now

donky kong 017 said:
thx. i guess thats just ridiculous. i want steady updates for a year or so as i switch to a new phone after a year. the last year was just horrible on my htc onex+ with so little development and s-on
the carriers would not bother me as im on a contact free carrier, the problem is development is affected. and this is something i have on every phone i buy.
im vacillating between nexus 5 and g2 now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd go with The N5. Huge developer support.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

Jposton said:
I'd go with The N5. Huge developer support.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
thx
i just compared the 2 forums N4-G2 and came to the same conclusion. development is even more important than hardware for me now

Need help lobbying for unlocked bootloader

Didn't know where else to post this but if anyone cares to go here and comment to John Legere please do.
https://twitter.com/fordjt/status/754483458869604352

jtford said:
Didn't know where else to post this but if anyone cares to go here and comment to John Legere please do.
https://twitter.com/fordjt/status/754483458869604352
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Click to collapse
Hmm. What an interesting idea.
But we already have tons of those petitions, e-mails, telephone calls, personal letters, legals requests, etc.
So in other words... your idea has already been done... with no luck.

Binary100100 said:
Hmm. What an interesting idea.
But we already have tons of those petitions, e-mails, telephone calls, personal letters, legals requests, etc.
So in other words... your idea has already been done... with no luck.
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Click to collapse
Roger that. I guess this can be closed then. Just outta curiosity, do you know if this is going to be the new norm? I'm on an international S7 Edge so it doesn't currently affect me, but I would like to have my wifi calling back. Have a brand new TMO S7 Edge just getting dusty.

jtford said:
Roger that. I guess this can be closed then. Just outta curiosity, do you know if this is going to be the new norm? I'm on an international S7 Edge so it doesn't currently affect me, but I would like to have my wifi calling back. Have a brand new TMO S7 Edge just getting dusty.
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Click to collapse
More than likely, yes, it will be the new norm.
There is an incredibly small chance that Samsung will go back to sending Tmo phones with unlockable bootloaders, but I would definitely not hold my breath. This is assuming that John Legere and Tmo actually did ask Samsung for an unlock like they said they did, and that Samsung decides to go back to how they used to ship the phones. Both of these scenarios are pretty unlikely by themselves, and even less so together.

AKW said:
More than likely, yes, it will be the new norm.
There is an incredibly small chance that Samsung will go back to sending Tmo phones with unlockable bootloaders, but I would definitely not hold my breath. This is assuming that John Legere and Tmo actually did ask Samsung for an unlock like they said they did, and that Samsung decides to go back to how they used to ship the phones. Both of these scenarios are pretty unlikely by themselves, and even less so together.
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I'm sure they discussed it. It was likely shot down as soon as it was brought up though.
I'd bet that even if we were to ask today they'd say "We're still working on it. These things take time."
I'd bet that even two years from now they'll say the same thing too because they don't want the negative publicity. Any response starting with an "Unfortunately" won't ever be in our benefit which is all that they'll be responding with if we were to get any straight forward answer at all.
Samsung is grossly underestimating the willpower and determination of their customers. We were determined to get root and now we have it! Samsung should see that, be smart about it and decide to give us what we want. Meanwhile, if I let someone check out my (rooted) S7 Edge and let them notice how hot it is, how much the battery life sucks and how bad the lag is on most games (all due to the engineering kernel that we're forced to use) then I'd doubt very seriously that most people would want to get it. So my way of thinking is that they might as well let us flash unsigned kernels to at the very least let the phone run like normal. I've awed more people with my phone before rooting than after. I've actually shown it to my supervisor and she responded, "Why the Hell is it so hot?" I'm guessing she's not going to be upgrading now.

why Samsung can not do like HTC who wanted the opened Bootloader why torture people .

diligent7771 said:
why Samsung can not do like HTC who wanted the opened Bootloader why torture people .
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But then HTC could probably sue Samsung for using their idea. LOL!

I really doubt any of this will affect Samsungs decision to unlock. This is a great device stock and each who drops Samsung 2 will buy their devices. There is nothing out there that would persuade me to root even though TEKHD has a custom rom and our device has a method to root. Just my 2cents
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PapaMag said:
I really doubt any of this will affect Samsungs decision to unlock. This is a great device stock and each who drops Samsung 2 will buy their devices. There is nothing out there that would persuade me to root even though TEKHD has a custom rom and our device has a method to root. Just my 2cents
Sent from my SM-G935T using XDA Premium HD app
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Samsung won't be releasing an unlock unless it could positively effect their assets. Right now, their assets are Samsung Pay and Knox. Both of which require a secured bootloader to work. By releasing an unlocked bootloader or an method to unlock would do nothing positive for those assets. Truth is, there is nothing to gain for Samsung to release the bootloader for us so they won't be doing it. I'm certain of it.

diligent7771 said:
why Samsung can not do like HTC who wanted the opened Bootloader why torture people .
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Click to collapse
Because Samsung has probably the best device they've ever made if not the best device currently on the market
Because Samsung S7/Edge devices are outselling the iPhone 6S/Plus
Because 99.99999% of people don't know what a bootloader unlock is, much less care about having it
Because Samsung Pay
Because a secure device enables government and corporate contracts
Because Samsung is making a ton of $$$ on these devices as they are
Because Samsung is totally OK with losing a small handful of people to HTC/Nexus devices when they can capture a much more lucrative market with a more secure device
There are likely many more reasons, but hopefully that answers why we don't have an unlocked bootloader and why we will never have an unlocked bootloader.

So with the bootloader locked, there is no way at all to install custom recovery or custom rom???
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chispas109 said:
So with the bootloader locked, there is no way at all to install custom recovery or custom rom???
Sent from my LGUS991 using Tapatalk
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No custom recovery. We can flash with Flashfire though. Only problem is that if something doesn't work right then you'll have to restore with Odin since we can't restore with a recovery and can only access Flashfire after the phone has already booted.