Database Users

Motorola & Locked Bootloaders - Is it an issue?

I currently use a Samsung phone that does not have a locked bootloader. I've read that Motorola is one of the manufacturers that likes to ship their phones with a lock bootloader, and this prevents people from flashing/hacking/rooting their phone.
How big of an issue is this? Are there reliable and straightforward way to bypass a locked bootloader? If I were to get a Droid 4 next year which comes with a locked bootloader, will I still be able to flash it with custom ROM and root it?

Hi,
There are way too many threads discussing this, both in the general section and individual motorola threads.
Please search

Motorola Unlock BootLoader

Is it possible to unlock flipout from this website ? https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/standalone/bootloader/unlock-your-device-b
Also is there any custom rom for it ?

No, the Unlock My Device program at the moment supports only one new device, the Photon Q 4G LTE.
I really hope that the masterminds at Motorola will soon add many more devices, especially older ones like the Flipout. Many of these devices are out of warranty by now anyway.
As for custom ROMs, there are none. Unfortunately the Flipout was not very popular with the modders. However, with an unlocked bootloader this could change.

So... how does one 'SIM unlock' this phone?
Do I understand right, that it needs to be rooted first?
Do I need to also CID unlock it, or is that only needed for flashing a custom ROM?

DylanKeyne said:
So... how does one 'SIM unlock' this phone?
Do I understand right, that it needs to be rooted first?
Do I need to also CID unlock it, or is that only needed for flashing a custom ROM?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only way for BF/Charm is by code, does not require root. Check ebay: search for "unlock mb511" or "unlock mb502" - fairly cheap these days,
Actually, bootloader unlock and carrier/sim unlock are two different things, so we're rather off-topic here.
I'm sure Moto has no interest in unlocking bootloaders of phones they've already sold, so in response to the OP I should say, "No; absolutely not; not ever."

[Q] OEM unlock on Note 4?

(my browser spazzed and I lost my last post if it shows up as a double ignore the other one!)
I'm new to Android and finding it confusing so thanks for the help so far!
I have a 910F Note 4 on Lollipop and want to root it to get rid of bloatware and possibly stop ads (if I can convince myself it's ethical) btu I *may* want to custom ROM it later.
So far your help and my reading have taught me this:
-- I can root using chainfire in order to get rid of bloat and block ads
-- If after rooting I later want a custom ROM or Xposed I'll need to get custom recovery in which case I'll be able to add CWM or TWRP later to my rooted phone
Assuming the above are true (if not please tell me!!) my question is this:
What on earth is oem unlock/bootloader unlock? In my reading I've come across people talking about this and it wiping the phone. I can't find an easy answer online. If I root +/- do CWM/TWRP will that automatically do OEM unlock or are they different things? Is bootloader unlock a different thing too? I'm confused! Will I need to root AND custom recovery AND oem unlock AND unlock bootloader?
Thanks in advance!!!

Some devices come with a locked bootloader, where you may be able to root the device via an exploit, but you can't change lower level software (ie kernel and/or recovery)... unless there is an unlock method for the bootloader.
The devices that do have a locked bootloader can be locked by the manufacturer, or by the carrier. That's the difference between the two. Either way the bootloader is still locked, only difference is who called for the locking.
For example, note 4 on tmobile does not have a locked bootloader, however, note 4 on at&t does. That decision was made by at&t, not Samsung. As far as I know, the at&t variant does not have a method for unlocking the bootloader yet so there's not much development for the device.
Compare to nexus devices, where Google automatically has the manufacturer lock the bootloader, but it being a development device, it's the easiest bootloader to unlock. It's literally a one line command in adb. HTC devices are locked but you can get an HTC dev code to unlock it from HTC.
I hope that makes sense. The best way to determine if your device has a locked bootloader is to visit the development forum or the general/Q&A forums for your device. If you have a locked bootloader and there is an unlock method, you only have to do it once (until you update or relock your bootloader). Some locked devices never get an unlock method. It designed to maintain the security and integrity of the device, but it also prevents user tampering.

Thank you for your thorough reply absinthesummer, very helpful.
However I'm still a little confused. My reading suggests to me that T-Mobile (910T) is *rootable* and the AT&T version (910S?) is not *rootable* but I'm in the UK and don't use these providers I use EE. And so I have the international variant of the Note 4 which is the 910F. I don't see a subforum or help for the UK EE version of the note 4 but as it's the 910F I assume that's the one I need to search for and not worry that EE will have put their own lock onto the 910F??
Now, because this happens to coincide with what you are saying has a locked bootloader or not, am I to assume that whether or not something is rootable is the same as whether or not it has an unlockable bootloader? i.e. is something only rootable or not because its bootloader is unlockable or not? If so therefore am I correct to assume that as the 910F which I have is rootable that it is also bootloadunlockable? And furthermore am I correct to assume that the very process of rooting itself unlocks the bootloader? Or perhaps in the case of the 910F it doesn't need to be so is even easier than Nexus devices? i.e. I just simply root and that in itself mean bootloader is already unlocked (and I am assuming that oem unlock is the same thing?)
I'm getting myself in a muddle I think!

Hehe it's totally cool, and yes your carrier could put a lock on it but that's incredibly rare in Europe due to frequent traveling between countries and the need to change Sims and carriers often... or at least that's what I've been told. The US carriers who lock their bootloaders are typically GSM carriers who do not expect you to need to root/carrier unlock/whatever. It's a control thing imo.
Anyway, your note 4 does not have a locked bootloader. If you check the development forum for your device you will see plenty of roms and guides and directions for rooting. That's usually a good indication that a device is unlocked (and those anticipating the release of new devices tend to get lock information prior to release, so they know which device they intend to buy).
Anyway, since you don't have a locked bootloader I wouldn't worry about it... that reminds me of a device I had for about a week, the LG L9. It had an oem bootloader lock but the international variant did not. We could root it & use a specially designed recovery with the bootloader locked but we couldn't flash a custom kernel (with a custom rom). They figured out that we could flash the international firmware and unlock that way, but it would make our display backwards (mirrored) and while that could be fixed, we would never be able to revert the boot screen. Now that's way too much trouble to go through just to unlock a bootloader and I did end up returning it and getting an s3 instead.
Bootloader locks are no fun, but they are not often placed on international devices for various reasons, so really I wouldn't worry about it too much.
If you get a device like a Google nexus, or an HTC that has a known locked bootloader, the bootloader and unlock method will be specifically mentioned in the routing guide. I hope that helps.
One more thing: rootability and locked bootloaders are not mutually exclusive, sometimes you can root devices with locked bootloaders and sometimes people will come up with ways around them (ie note 3 has safe strap recovery that runs parallel to stock recovery) to be able to use custom roms. However, if no exploit is found and there is no workaround, development will stall until one or both of those things is found. You may be able to root a device with a locked BL, but you may not be able to flash custom roms/kernels without a workaround. What I meant though is if you see a popular device with very little development, that's probably due to a locked bootloader and not having found a way around it yet. Most guides will explicitly mention the BL though if it's something you need to do

Yet another thoroughly helpful and detailed reply. Thank you very much indeed. You're a star!

Cannot root or unlock bootloader

I just bought Xperia X Compact in Japan, phone's carrier is NTT Docomo. (model SO-02J)
I tried *#*#7378423 , but it shows "bootloader unlock allow : NO"
then I tried ADB , but I cannot use commands like "su" , "root" . It shows : /system/bin/sh: su: not found :crying:
What can I do now to root this phone?
Or maybe I should buy a new phone that is global-version,simfree ?
I need help !

I think you cannot root without unlocking bootloader...
Maybe Kingroot...but I'm not sure...

Rikanotank1 said:
I just bought Xperia X Compact in Japan, phone's carrier is NTT Docomo. (model SO-02J)
I tried *#*#7378423 , but it shows "bootloader unlock allow : NO"
then I tried ADB , but I cannot use commands like "su" , "root" . It shows : /system/bin/sh: su: not found :crying:
What can I do now to root this phone?
Or maybe I should buy a new phone that is global-version,simfree ?
I need help !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can not do anything if the bootloader is not allowed to unlock.
No bootloader unlock, no root, custom recovery (twrp), roms, etc.
What does the OEM Unlock switch in developer options say? if there is one? greyd out maybe with some explanation below?
A possible solution is to look for the F5321 model of this phone (sim free international) as I can see in xperifirm that only 1 provider (NTT DoCoMo) is tied to the SO-02J and they are also well behind with updates.

Theoretically you can use exploits in the system to gain root, but for this you need a vulnerable stock firmware. You can flash an older firmware even with locked bootloader, as long as it is stock. But I would strongly advise against permanently downgrading to a vulnerable firmware, you might not be the only one to exploit it . On that firmware, you could install root software that does not touch the kernel, but the use is limited for customizations and also realize that the whole community here revolves around unlocked phones, so all guides etc. expect that.
Hope you still enjoy your phone or find somebody else who does Not everybody cares about root and custom ROMs, I suggest you resell. If you get another model, as suggested, buy a F5321. Even branded ones, bootloader is unlockable and you remove the branding with flashing another (stock or custom) ROM.

ypnos42 said:
Theoretically you can use exploits in the system to gain root, but for this you need a vulnerable stock firmware. You can flash an older firmware even with locked bootloader, as long as it is stock. But I would strongly advise against permanently downgrading to a vulnerable firmware, you might not be the only one to exploit it . On that firmware, you could install root software that does not touch the kernel, but the use is limited for customizations and also realize that the whole community here revolves around unlocked phones, so all guides etc. expect that.
Hope you still enjoy your phone or find somebody else who does Not everybody cares about root and custom ROMs, I suggest you resell. If you get another model, as suggested, buy a F5321. Even branded ones, bootloader is unlockable and you remove the branding with flashing another (stock or custom) ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks very much !

Rikanotank1 said:
Thanks very much !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you succeed?

SM-G975U (T-Mobile Galaxy S10+) Rooting, etc

It's been so long since I last rooted my phones, maybe 6 or 7 years now... I don't even know where to start. Is TWRP still the go-to method for rooting these Android devices?
I couldn't find anything specifically for the T-Mobile variants, dunno if that's been done yet.
Thanks,
Nick

Your bootloader is locked and cannot be unlocked. No root or TWRP available.

StoneyJSG said:
Your bootloader is locked and cannot be unlocked. No root or TWRP available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks

No problem!

Is this device always going to have a locked bootloader? Flashing an unlocked firmware wouldn't change anything? Im new to samsung and have been out of the rom game a long time.

PunkUnity said:
Is this device always going to have a locked bootloader? Flashing an unlocked firmware wouldn't change anything? Im new to samsung and have been out of the rom game a long time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These devices will always be locked down. The last U.S. Samsung phone to get root was the S9, the S10 line are locked up tight. Flashing unlocked firmware just makes your phone carrier free so you can use it with any carrier, it doesn't unlock the bootloader.

What phones are best for modding these days then? Just came from a Pixel 4 XL and it had a locked bootloader plus tons of hardware issues that ended in me getting this phone

I would say a One Plus phone is probably the most versatile as far as modding goes these days. You could also get an exynos S10 variant which can be rooted and custom recovery installed.