Database Users

Root vs. Unlocked bootloader

In this thread I intend to give some basic insight about these two concepts, which are closely entwined with our phone's experience. I'm not a tech guy, but I think this little summary might clear some doubts for people who are new to this kind of issues (people who come from other non-Android phones especially). All feedback is welcome, in particular the one of people who can expand the topic with their knowledge.
"Root" is the common way to refer to the fact to the user account which has superuser rights on the device. Superuser rights imply full control over your phone's capacities, which are determined by the software and the hardware of the device. Non-superuser accounts have limitations, usually established for the sake of software security (for example, not allowing a user to disable critical functions such as phone or GPS), hardware safety (not allowing to change the processor's frequency speed, aka overclocking the CPU) or, in some cases, for someone's profit (disabling wi-fi tethering is a typical one as users are forced to buy data plans in order to use their devices to tether). In Android's case, Superuser is composed of an app* and a set of instructions to give this app root rights.
The bootloader is a program which accesses the internal storage and, basically, controls the loading of the programs and data necessary to initiate the sequence of launching the OS (aka booting, thus the name bootloader). We say that a bootloader is locked when it is programmed in such a way that it won't allow to load the device if it detects data from third-party sources. Unlocked bootloaders do allow these data and will load what these data contain, which will be usually a modified version of the phone's firmware, known as "Custom ROM".
As we can see, there was the fear that one would need to have unlocked bootloaders (i.e the ability to load third-party data in the booting sequence) in order to gain root rights. This would have been terribly inconvenient because only a minority of users will have unlocked bootloaders, since the phones with unlocked bootloaders by default are the ones sold carrier-unlocked. Said carrier-free phones will be a minority as the phone is pretty expensive: most Xperia Plays will be sold using carrier subsidies.
However, our fellow member Chainfire found an exploit (a programming loophole) in Gingerbread which allows said app and instructions to be loaded without the need of touching the bootloaders. Basically, his Gingerbreak program allows the user to have root rights without loading any bootloader-sensitive data. This widens the possibilities for the majority of users who will buy this phone with a subsidy.
*edit 3* Later on, it has become possible to unlock the bootloader even for SIM-locked devices, thanks to different unlockers like Alejandrissimo and Jinx13. This means that, provided that you pay what they charge, you can have your device set up without the bothers of having to buy a SIM-free phone. What's better: their method of unlocking the bootloader SIM-unlocks the phone as well.
I think this is more or less a succint framework of ideas which allows us to define "root" and "unlocked bootloaders" properly. As they say, knowing is half the battle, so I hope this nugget of information allows users to deal with their phones with more confidence.
*edit* as of version 2.3.3, this information has changed. Gingerbreak doesn't work with 2.3.3 anymore, and it seems now that the only way to root with locked bootloaders is to flash a 2.3.2 rom with FlashTool and update through OTA.
*edit2* note that this explanations pertains mostly to the Xperia Play. Other devices are NAND-locked, which means for us that they need unlocked bootloaders to even get root access.
*Note that Android is built in such a way that every app is a user account with limited rights (the ones specified before you download it). Thus, Superuser is a user account as any other app and the set of instructions is meant to give this user account root rights.

Thank you! This was very helpful in clarifying some things.

"As we can see, there was the fear that one would need to have unlocked bootloaders (i.e the ability to load third-party data in the booting sequence) in order to gain root rights. This would have been terribly inconvenient because only a minority of users will have unlocked bootloaders, since the phones with unlocked bootloaders by default are the ones sold carrier-unlocked. Said carrier-free phones will be a minority as the phone is pretty expensive: most Xperia Plays will be sold using carrier subsidies"
by carrier unlocked do you mean sim unlocked? sorry 4 noob question

Indeed, that is what I mean.

Logseman said:
Indeed, that is what I mean.
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Alright, I asked this question and it was answered, but I want to make sure before I try anything.
I just found out from SE that my phone is the Rogers version. It's obviously been unlocked because I'm using it on AT&T.
What I don't know, though, is whether the bootloader is unlocked. Another member recommended that I check TrackID to see if it worked because it depends on the manufacturer DRM's that are wiped in unlocking the bootloader. It did work, so I assume it's still locked, but I wanted to confirm because of being carrier unlocked.
Sent from my R800a using XDA App

If TrackID works, your bootloader is locked, regardless of simlock.

I have a Sim-Unlocked Xperia Play from Rogers that I am using on ATT's network. My phone is boot-locked. When powered off, if I hold the search key while plugging in the USB cable, I do not get a blue light.
I was able to flash the firmware by holding the back key while plugging in the usb cable (with the phone off). I get a green light when I do this. Using flashtool, I was able get 2.3.3 rooted by loading the 2.3.2 firmware, rooting, and then updating OTA.
I bricked my phone several times while loading the firmware and each time I was able to fix it with flashtool or Sony Ericsson's Upgrade Utility. I found that you need a good USB cable, and even then it failed sometimes. I just kept trying and eventually it worked.

We wanted to provide an update on HTC’s progress with bringing bootloader unlocking to our newest phones. We know how excited some of you are for this capability, and we’ve put significant resources behind making this change as soon as possible. While we wish we could flip a simple switch and unlock all bootloaders across our device portfolio, this is actually a complex challenge that requires a new software build and extensive testing to deliver the best possible customer experience.
We’re thrilled to announce today that software updates to support bootloader unlocking will begin rolling out in August for the global HTC Sensation, followed by the HTC Sensation 4G on T-Mobile USA and the HTC EVO 3D on Sprint. We’re in the testing phase for the unlocking capability now, and we expect it to be fully operational by early September for devices that have received the software updates. We'll continue rolling out the unlocking capability over time to other devices as part of maintenance releases and new shipments.
HTC continues its commitment to unlocking bootloaders and supporting the developer community. Because of the importance of this community to us, please expect an update on this about every few weeks as we make progress toward launch. Thank you for your patience and continued support!
(they claim it will come to only two devices for starters the EVO 3D and the Sensation 4G and then it will slowly rollout to other devices that already have 2.3 or enough internal memory on them, this will all start in last August an early September for the first two droids listed... and others will soon follow suit, the only question is do you want you bootloader to come unlocked stock? Or will you buy it locked and be able to sit around and wait for your device to get an update to do so?? LOL

thats why my phone couldnt flash back to 2.3.2..(?)
I live in singapore.. phones are not carrier specific.. so does that mean my BL was unlocked even before I used gingerbreak?

I know this doesnt pertain to the play per se, but maybe you should add that, with nand locked devices, an unlocked bootloader is required to acheive full root, just incase someone with another device googles this question and ends up here

pros and cons of unlocked bootloader
Pros/Cons of rooting WITHOUT unlocking bootloader?
Since being interested in rooting my N1 I've been googling a lot but it's still somewhat confusing. One of the things that's making me hesitent is the idea of permanently (as of the date of this post) unlocking the phone and thus clearly/visibly voiding the warranty.
I've recently stumbled upon instructions for rooting without unlocking the bootloader? Am I correct in assuming this would make the phone appear (no unlock icon) to be unmodified? Also, does this mean one could fully reverse the rooting process and go back to fully stock google signed roms with OTA updates etc (essentially reverting it back as if it were never modified)?
It would seem this would be preferable to any method involving the unlocking of the bootloader. Are there any disadvantages of this? Any increased risks by NOT unlocking the bootloader? Is there a reason why most people have gone the rout of unlocking the bootloader?
My plan is simply to have root access to run setcpu on the stock FRF91 rom. As of now, I'm not interested in other ROMs (baby steps).

tommyinhi27 said:
Pros/Cons of rooting WITHOUT unlocking bootloader?
Since being interested in rooting my N1 I've been googling a lot but it's still somewhat confusing. One of the things that's making me hesitent is the idea of permanently (as of the date of this post) unlocking the phone and thus clearly/visibly voiding the warranty.
I've recently stumbled upon instructions for rooting without unlocking the bootloader? Am I correct in assuming this would make the phone appear (no unlock icon) to be unmodified? Also, does this mean one could fully reverse the rooting process and go back to fully stock google signed roms with OTA updates etc (essentially reverting it back as if it were never modified)?
It would seem this would be preferable to any method involving the unlocking of the bootloader. Are there any disadvantages of this? Any increased risks by NOT unlocking the bootloader? Is there a reason why most people have gone the rout of unlocking the bootloader?
My plan is simply to have root access to run setcpu on the stock FRF91 rom. As of now, I'm not interested in other ROMs (baby steps).
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Click to collapse
The N1 is made by HTC, generaly with htc devices, flashing a stock rom, will re-lock the bootloader, If you decide just to root, you will need a custom kernel before you can O/C All that unlocking the bootloader does is 2 things, It will security unlock the nand (on nand locked devices) allowing r/w access to read only partitions, and it allows you to issue fastboot commands to your device, the main reason alot of play owners went down the unlocking the bootloader path, is that atm it is the only way to flash custom roms other devices, have found sneaky ways to push a custom recovery without unlocking bootloaders, and thus do not need one to flash a custom rom

AndroHero said:
I know this doesnt pertain to the play per se, but maybe you should add that, with nand locked devices, an unlocked bootloader is required to acheive full root, just incase someone with another device googles this question and ends up here
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Click to collapse
I'm not too knowledgeable about the whole Nand thing, so I think you could give a much better explanation about it. I'll include it then

whoa whoa whoa!!!! i achieved root on 2.3.3 with no prob using superoneclick v2.3.3. it works beautifully!

Yes, but you're replying to a thread that's 8 months out of date too!
Sent from my R800x using XDA

Lol. I know, but I've been trolling the site, and I think it may need a bit of new info so someone doesn't follow the steps here now that a better method has been found.
Sent from my R800at using XDA

isavegas said:
Lol. I know, but I've been trolling the site, and I think it may need a bit of new info so someone doesn't follow the steps here now that a better method has been found.
Sent from my R800at using XDA
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Click to collapse
why not just stop bumping heavily old threads? then they can rest in piece
and nobody would care
the information thatit's outdated is alreada given in 1st post.
u also could ask a mod to close this as its outdated...

Hey, this thread may be outdated, but it's not my fault if someone necros old threads. Just let it die.

question
can i flash custom roms in a locked bootloader?

yes
big txmer said:
can i flash custom roms in a locked bootloader?
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Click to collapse
only stock gb ones nothing else

recived NOTE 3 from verizon (live in israel) can i flash international roms ?

hii i live in Israel and received verizon note 3 from a friend that live in the US
i don't need all the Verizon bloatware also i want to put a rom from the international note 3 forum...
can i do this ??
will everything work normal ?
thank you !
(i did search google for those things and didn't find anything related)

Clicker7 said:
hii i live in Israel and received verizon note 3 from a friend that live in the US
i don't need all the Verizon bloatware also i want to put a rom from the international note 3 forum...
can i do this ??
will everything work normal ?
thank you !
(i did search google for those things and didn't find anything related)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, you can not. Unfortunately the bootloader on the Verizon version is locked. You can flash hashcode's safestrap (found in Android Development section), and then you can flash a variety of TouchWiz based customized Verizon ROMs, but that's it.

cam30era said:
No, you can not. Unfortunately the bootloader on the Verizon version is locked. You can flash hashcode's safestrap (found in Android Development section), and then you can flash a variety of TouchWiz based customized Verizon ROMs, but that's it.
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Click to collapse
ok thank you
can you explain little bit more ?
what do you mean the bootloader is locked ??
is there any chance it will be unlocked anytime ?
and if it will be unlocked than i will be able to use whatever rom i want ?

Clicker7 said:
ok thank you
can you explain little bit more ?
what do you mean the bootloader is locked ??
is there any chance it will be unlocked anytime ?
and if it will be unlocked than i will be able to use whatever rom i want ?
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Click to collapse
For an explanation of bootloader go here > http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Bootloader
Verizon and AT&T lock the bootloader on all of their devices. No official statement as to why, but there is a lot of conjecture. In the end, it doesn't matter why, really. Sad fact is that they do it.
Several of the best developers have tried, and failed to unlock the Note 3 bootloader.
There appears to be no one currently working on unlocking the bootloader on the Verizon Note 3.
If the bootloader was unlocked, then you could flash any custom ROM and kernel that was made for Note 3.
But as of today, you are condemned to use customized variations of the Verizon Touchwiz ROM and stock TW kernel.

cam30era said:
For an explanation of bootloader go here > http://forum.xda-developers.com/wiki/Bootloader
Verizon and AT&T lock the bootloader on all of their devices. No official statement as to why, but there is a lot of conjecture. In the end, it doesn't matter why, really. Sad fact is that they do it.
Several of the best developers have tried, and failed to unlock the Note 3 bootloader.
There appears to be no one currently working on unlocking the bootloader on the Verizon Note 3.
If the bootloader was unlocked, then you could flash any custom ROM and kernel that was made for Note 3.
But as of today, you are condemned to use customized variations of the Verizon Touchwiz ROM and stock TW kernel.
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Click to collapse
OK
thank you very muchhh !

Bootloader unlock allowed : no

As the title says, It seems the bureaucrats at EE UK network are using phones that cannot be bootloader unlocked, even if Sony do allow, albeit with some loss of features.
Considering I flashed a generic rom, and my important photos/whatsapp files got wiped (I forgot to backup) as it was stated with flashtool only account based user data will get wiped not data from internal memory/sd card, well that didn't work.
I needed to root to allow some recovery software get my photos/whatsapp files back.
Now finding that the booloader is unlockable . I just want to throw the phone at the kunts at EE management. " EE the UK's biggest and fastest growing, bunch of dicks!"
Is their anybody else on EE who's bootloader is unlockable?
I'm so depressed with this all.

You needed to root to recover deleted files that you deleted by rooting?

davestuarts said:
As the title says, It seems the bureaucrats at EE UK network are using phones that cannot be bootloader unlocked, even if Sony do allow, albeit with some loss of features.
Considering I flashed a generic rom, and my important photos/whatsapp files got wiped (I forgot to backup) as it was stated with flashtool only account based user data will get wiped not data from internal memory/sd card, well that didn't work.
I needed to root to allow some recovery software get my photos/whatsapp files back.
Now finding that the booloader is unlockable . I just want to throw the phone at the kunts at EE management. " EE the UK's biggest and fastest growing, bunch of dicks!"
Is their anybody else on EE who's bootloader is unlockable?
I'm so depressed with this all.
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Click to collapse
In Poland Orange locks bootloaders for good in SONY devices, as I know there are tricks to make it unlockable, but not sure if possible to do it at home.

adamk7 said:
You needed to root to recover deleted files that you deleted by rooting?
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Click to collapse
I have not rooted yet, have only applied a generic less bloated rom. But now I need to root, so I can use software like 'hexamob recovery' which needs root to access the internal memory.
Tbh, the photo's I took that got wiped are sentimentally so important, hence me getting so stressed about it.
rollesky said:
In Poland Orange locks bootloaders for good in SONY devices, as I know there are tricks to make it unlockable, but not sure if possible to do it at home.
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Click to collapse
Oh, so orange there do the same. Here its now T-mobile/orange joined together as EE.
There must be a way to change that Bootloader state to yes. I know Orange/EE won't do it. Many people have asked in their forums about similar devices.
Thx for the insight tho...

I'll be totally honest with you here & you wont like the answer...
...if it says "bootloader unlock allowed: no" it will most probably stay that way.
My last Sony phone was from O2 & it was the same story.
The history of Sony phones with that state have stayed that way, as far as I'm aware
This means, once (optimistic) we get root you will only be able to flash stock based roms
Considering rooting newer versions of android seem to be getting more difficult, finding a way to bypass the bootloader is going to be near impossible...never say never but don't hold your breath.
The only Sony phone I had where the bootloader got unlocked unofficially was the X10 mini pro (beast phone) & that is when they were still Sony Ericsson & over 2 years after release (luckily back then you could flash CM / AOSP etc with locked bootloader, not any more though!)
Best bet is, give the phone back & buy it from a reseller like Clove / Handtec if unlocking the bootloader is that important to you & its not a contract deal you're after (or get sim only contract or something...PAYG FTW)
Otherwise, remember this for next time...

davestuarts said:
I have not rooted yet, have only applied a generic less bloated rom. But now I need to root, so I can use software like 'hexamob recovery' which needs root to access the internal memory.
Tbh, the photo's I took that got wiped are sentimentally so important, hence me getting so stressed about it.
Oh, so orange there do the same. Here its now T-mobile/orange joined together as EE.
There must be a way to change that Bootloader state to yes. I know Orange/EE won't do it. Many people have asked in their forums about similar devices.
Thx for the insight tho...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phroenix said:
I'll be totally honest with you here & you wont like the answer...
...if it says "bootloader unlock allowed: no" it will most probably stay that way.
My last Sony phone was from O2 & it was the same story.
The history of Sony phones with that state have stayed that way, as far as I'm aware
This means, once (optimistic) we get root you will only be able to flash stock based roms
Considering rooting newer versions of android seem to be getting more difficult, finding a way to bypass the bootloader is going to be near impossible...never say never but don't hold your breath.
The only Sony phone I had where the bootloader got unlocked unofficially was the X10 mini pro (beast phone) & that is when they were still Sony Ericsson & over 2 years after release (luckily back then you could flash CM / AOSP etc with locked bootloader, not any more though!)
..
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Click to collapse
What phroenix said is true.
From Xperia T (2012) onwards, there's no chance to get the bootloader unlocked if you read "bootloader unlock allowed: no".
@davestuarts Your old customization was 1289-4465 (T-mobile/EE) so I'm making a new FTF for you with that old firmware, let's try this way

istux said:
What phroenix said is true.
From Xperia T (2012) onwards, there's no chance to get the bootloader unlocked if you read "bootloader unlock allowed: no".
Sony, will they ever learn. I'm glad I didn't get rid of my viper running One X yet.
Tbh, the Sony layer on kitkit is pretty good considering and I'm plenty happy keeping stock roms, My main things are to run exposed and xprivacy.
@davestuarts Your old customization was 1289-4465 (T-mobile/EE) so I'm making a new FTF for you with that old firmware, let's try this way
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Click to collapse
Thanks istux, appreciate the help and less stress feeling.
Tha

G900V CID 11 Running CyanogenMod 14 - Unable to make phone calls/Use sms

Hi, in an attempt to unlock Wifi Tethering capability on my phone, I installed [G900F]CyanogenMod 14.0-20161020-UNOFFICIAL-klte, and now I'm unable to make phone calls or use SMS/MMS.
Is there anything I can try to get service back?
I've tried installing a new modem with no success, using Odin, FlashFire, Terminal Server. I'm not confident I was doing it correctly though, or even if I was using the correct modem files.
I was able to root the phone with Stock firmware, but Mobile Hotspot/Wifi Tether wasn't built-in, and I had no success with any of the apps... FoxFi, Wifi Tether Router, Barnacle Wifi.
Some more information on the phone:
It's the StraightTalk variant made for TotalWireless MVNO. The phone's Stock firmware said it was the S902L Samsung S5 variant, but under the battery FCC ID of the device is actually just a G900V. I took it to the Verizon MVNO PagePlus and they were able to activate the phone, and everything was working perfect, until installing CM14.0.
A roadblock I found out, that might be the root of some of the problems, is the phone may not have the ability to unlock the bootloader, possibly limiting some modding methods. When looking at /sys/block/mmcblk0/device/cid, it starts with 11, designating a Toshiba eMMC chip.
I'll take any suggestions, or alternatives... I don't mind using the stock firmware or any other Roms. The main feature I'd like to have is the ability to use Wifi Tether and the basics, make calls, send sms.
Thank you.

I know this is off topic, but how in the world did you get CM14 running on G900V-CID11?

leotakacs said:
I know this is off topic, but how in the world did you get CM14 running on G900V-CID11?
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Click to collapse
I'm not entirely sure, but someone had an idea they mentioned to me, that it might've been possible to get CM installed from a very outdated Android version, from before CID 11 was locked. The previous stock Android version the phone came installed with was 4.4.2. It was the StraightTalk variant made for TotalWireless MVNO. The phone's Stock firmware said it was the S902L Samsung S5 variant, but under the battery FCC ID of the device is actually just a G900V.

You will not be able to run any version of Cyanogen on your Toshiba S5 properly. Your best course would be to install FlashFire from the play store and use it to install a TouchWiz ROM such as Moar (5.0) or Phoenix (6.0).

TechFellow1 said:
I'm not entirely sure, but someone had an idea they mentioned to me, that it might've been possible to get CM installed from a very outdated Android version, from before CID 11 was locked. The previous stock Android version the phone came installed with was 4.4.2. It was the StraightTalk variant made for TotalWireless MVNO. The phone's Stock firmware said it was the S902L Samsung S5 variant, but under the battery FCC ID of the device is actually just a G900V.
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Click to collapse
no, no, no. don't listen to any of these other people. if your phone boots CM14 then your bootloader is unlocked. this has nothing to do with bootloaders. you installed the wrong ROM for your phone. CM14-kltevzw is the correct variant for your phone, not CM14-klte.
see here:
https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_nighlies/cm-14.1-20161225-NIGHTLY-kltevzw.zip

Hariiiii said:
no, no, no. don't listen to any of these other people. if your phone boots CM14 then your bootloader is unlocked. this has nothing to do with bootloaders. you installed the wrong ROM for your phone. CM14-kltevzw is the correct variant for your phone, not CM14-klte.
see here:
https://archive.org/download/cmarchive_nighlies/cm-14.1-20161225-NIGHTLY-kltevzw.zip
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Click to collapse
He said his phone has a CID11 Toshiba chip. @OP, are you positive you have a Toshiba chip (11)?

leotakacs said:
He said his phone has a CID11 Toshiba chip. @OP, are you positive you have a Toshiba chip (11)?
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Click to collapse
It doesn't matter. He is on a straight talk phone. The bootloader is unlocked by default. The firmware is different.

Hariiiii said:
It doesn't matter. He is on a straight talk phone. The bootloader is unlocked by default. The firmware is different.
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Click to collapse
generally correct. best way to know would be to take a cid 11 based device, and flash twrp same way you would cid 15.
as far as i know though, most straight talk phones i see at work that i've repaired software wise have had unlocked bootloaders... which makes recovering/backing up files a breeze lol

KaptinBoxxi said:
generally correct. best way to know would be to take a cid 11 based device, and flash twrp same way you would cid 15.
as far as i know though, most straight talk phones i see at work that i've repaired software wise have had unlocked bootloaders... which makes recovering/backing up files a breeze lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that is correct. Here's the final solution I came up with and everything's working perfectly now.
I flashed the kltevzw 14 version with TWRP and had no luck getting service, then I tried flashing the kitkat factory ROM with ODIN to see if that would fix it, but ODIN failed after many attempts. Finally I flashed with the lower but stable release kltevzw CM13, instead of the nightly, and everything worked again. I'm thinking I must be extremely lucky to have gotten a Straight Talk S5 variant with an unlocked bootloader, but it's interesting that even though my CID definitely starts with 11, the bootloader is unlocked. Not all hope is lost on CID 11 S5's.

TechFellow1 said:
I think that is correct. Here's the final solution I came up with and everything's working perfectly now.
I flashed the kltevzw 14 version with TWRP and had no luck getting service, then I tried flashing the kitkat factory ROM with ODIN to see if that would fix it, but ODIN failed after many attempts. Finally I flashed with the lower but stable release kltevzw CM13, instead of the nightly, and everything worked again. I'm thinking I must be extremely lucky to have gotten a Straight Talk S5 variant with an unlocked bootloader, but it's interesting that even though my CID definitely starts with 11, the bootloader is unlocked. Not all hope is lost on CID 11 S5's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you able to dump your boot and bootloader partitions somehow? The "dd" command from adb shell somehow?
Couldnt we just use a diff program to compare yours with one of the Locked 11's?

TechFellow1 said:
I think that is correct. Here's the final solution I came up with and everything's working perfectly now.
I flashed the kltevzw 14 version with TWRP and had no luck getting service, then I tried flashing the kitkat factory ROM with ODIN to see if that would fix it, but ODIN failed after many attempts. Finally I flashed with the lower but stable release kltevzw CM13, instead of the nightly, and everything worked again. I'm thinking I must be extremely lucky to have gotten a Straight Talk S5 variant with an unlocked bootloader, but it's interesting that even though my CID definitely starts with 11, the bootloader is unlocked. Not all hope is lost on CID 11 S5's.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Delgoth said:
Are you able to dump your boot and bootloader partitions somehow? The "dd" command from adb shell somehow?
Couldnt we just use a diff program to compare yours with one of the Locked 11's?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, all hope IS lost on CID 11's. You have a different phone provided by a different company. It is loaded with a different software and hardware configuration. There is no bootloader signature verification. Yes, the configuration is very similar to that of a G900V, but the bootloader comes unlocked. This is phone specific. This has no value for an actual G900V.

Hariiiii said:
No, all hope IS lost on CID 11's. You have a different phone provided by a different company. It is loaded with a different software and hardware configuration. There is no bootloader signature verification. Yes, the configuration is very similar to that of a G900V, but the bootloader comes unlocked. This is phone specific. This has no value for an actual G900V.
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Click to collapse
well if that's correct, then why does the dev edition bootloader work on the non-dev edition? Sure, its still a g900v, but never hurts to find a way and try
a little optimism can go a long way in life. don't think so negatively

KaptinBoxxi said:
well if that's correct, then why does the dev edition bootloader work on the non-dev edition? Sure, its still a g900v, but never hurts to find a way and try
a little optimism can go a long way in life. don't think so negatively
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Click to collapse
I say this because I have tried it and I know how it works. A bootloader needs to have the right signature that is recognized by the hardware. The reason the dev edition bootloader works on non dev edition is because they are the same phone, but with different bootloaders installed. The signature of the straight talk bootloader will not be recognized by the G900V hardware. Again, I have confirmed this personally. The straight talk is almost the same hardware as the verizon G900V, but it does not have bootloader signature verification enabled (and the bootloader that comes installed is unsecured).

Hariiiii said:
I say this because I have tried it and I know how it works. A bootloader needs to have the right signature that is recognized by the hardware. The reason the dev edition bootloader works on non dev edition is because they are the same phone, but with different bootloaders installed. The signature of the straight talk bootloader will not be recognized by the G900V hardware. Again, I have confirmed this personally. The straight talk is almost the same hardware as the verizon G900V, but it does not have bootloader signature verification enabled (and the bootloader that comes installed is unsecured).
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alright, that makes sense. Thanks for explaining. Always interested in these things since i don't QUITE understand exploits at that level. I do mainly apk modifications and software dev

KaptinBoxxi said:
well if that's correct, then why does the dev edition bootloader work on the non-dev edition? Sure, its still a g900v, but never hurts to find a way and try
a little optimism can go a long way in life. don't think so negatively
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because you don't have a clue about how the CID exploit works
the reason you can flash the dev aboot on a CID15 is because you can change the CID to match that of a dev edtion aboot checks the CID to see if a device as a dev edtion or not
the CID is a sort of serial number for the flash-chip and normally its write once and then read only value ,but because samsung was sloppy we can use some custom Samsung NAND vendor commands to change it so secure-boot thinks you have a dev editon and permits the flashing of a unsigned image
this is flat not possible on CID11 devices(toshiba NAND) there is no hope for cid11 devices with this method the commands needed simply do not exist PERIOD

Legitsu said:
because you don't have a clue about how the CID exploit works
the reason you can flash the dev aboot on a CID15 is because you can change the CID to match that of a dev edtion aboot checks the CID to see if a device as a dev edtion or not
the CID is a sort of serial number for the flash-chip and normally its write once and then read only value ,but because samsung was sloppy we can use some custom Samsung NAND vendor commands to change it so secure-boot thinks you have a dev editon and permits the flashing of a unsigned image
this is flat not possible on CID11 devices(toshiba NAND) there is no hope for cid11 devices with this method the commands needed simply do not exist PERIOD
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I understand plenty enough to know the difference in the flash chips cid's with such like that... The fact of the matter i was trying to get at is that most Straight Talk phones are unlocked entirely without a care in the world, regardless of their CID/branding. Without the proper commands and 3rd party support, I get that there won't be a way. That's why I check my CID's first before buying S5's or Note 4's

S5 AT&T help

Hello guys, I'm posting this for first time.
My girlfriend is having a Samsung S5 from AT&T and I want to root it as she told me system apps from AT&T are taking too much space on her phone and so I was thinking can I flash any custom rom on it?
As I see the AT&T thread separate, I want to ask some things
Does Network provider has to do something with it ?
I can flash custom rom on her phone or not?
And same odin thing works ? Like unlocking bootloader and fishing custom recovery
I have never rooted any Samsung phone ever
I'm having a oneplus and HTC.
If anyone can tell me what all do I need to do, I would appreciate it a lot .

Att version has locked bootloader .... Root is possible and there a few roms but they are all based off the stock rom just tweaked a bit ...

cpt.macp said:
Hello guys, I'm posting this for first time.
My girlfriend is having a Samsung S5 from AT&T and I want to root it as she told me system apps from AT&T are taking too much space on her phone and so I was thinking can I flash any custom rom on it?
As I see the AT&T thread separate, I want to ask some things
Does Network provider has to do something with it ?
I can flash custom rom on her phone or not?
And same odin thing works ? Like unlocking bootloader and fishing custom recovery
I have never rooted any Samsung phone ever
I'm having a oneplus and HTC.
If anyone can tell me what all do I need to do, I would appreciate it a lot .
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Click to collapse
You should consider two things:
1. ATT phone may be sim-locked (locked to their network), but it has nothing to do with custom firmware. This problem may be solved more or less easily.
2. ATT phone (SM-G900A) does have a locked bootloader. This is a real problem.
That's why you're limited to touchwiz-based ROMs and stock kernels.
This means, in it's turn, that you cannot have root on 6.0 and above, you cannot have custom recovery, LOS, etc.
If it was my device and I was going to use it as a smartphone (to communicate with others) on a GSM network, I'd install this ROM in unrooted variant and the latest firmware (boot, modem, kernel).

bbsc said:
You should consider two things:
1. ATT phone may be sim-locked (locked to their network), but it has nothing to do with custom firmware. This problem may be solved more or less easily.
2. ATT phone (SM-G900A) does have a locked bootloader. This is a real problem.
That's why you're limited to touchwiz-based ROMs and stock kernels.
This means, in it's turn, that you cannot have root on 6.0 and above, you cannot have custom recovery, LOS, etc.
If it was my device and I was going to use it as a smartphone (to communicate with others) on a GSM network, I'd install this ROM in unrooted variant and the latest firmware (boot, modem, kernel).
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Click to collapse
It's been over 2 years for her phone, unlocking bootloader won't be an issue ( we can unlock it right?) . And she will be using AT&T only because she is using family plan.
If you dare saying the real problem is locked bootloader then we can just unlock it , or I understood it wrong

cpt.macp said:
It's been over 2 years for her phone, unlocking bootloader won't be an issue ( we can unlock it right?) . And she will be using AT&T only because she is using family plan. If you dare saying the real problem is locked bootloader then we can just unlock it , or I understood it wrong
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I believe that the following thread may help you out with this. It's S5 AT&T device specific.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3516196
Good Luck!
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