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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Click to collapse
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).
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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

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.
Click to expand...
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?
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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!)
..
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks istux, appreciate the help and less stress feeling.
Tha

Official Sony Xperia XZ Premium Root+DRM Backup/Restore Bounty Thread

OFFICIAL SONY XPERIA XZ PREMIUM ROOT & DRM BACKUP/RESTORE BOUNTY​
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Thanks for visiting the thread. Root bounties have been incredibly successful in creating traction from community members towards finding root methods in many brands of phones in the past.
What is a 'root & DRM bounty?'
A root bounty is a sum of money that people pledge to donate to any person who can find a way to root a specific device and firmware. Currently our bounty differs a little because of the specific firmware format for Sony Xperia phones. When rooting the device the device's saved DRM keys are wiped. Amongst other issues this causes a loss of functionality to the device camera that renders it mostly useless. As such a lot of people are apprehensive in rooting the device until a DRM backup and restore method is achieved.
Can the XZP be rooted?
Currently yes it can, however this method does not allow the DRM keys to be saved and restored. People who have currently rooted their Xperia XZ Premium phones will probably never have a way to restore the original DRM keys. For those of us who have opted not to root our XZP phones yet, there is still the option of waiting until we can back up the keys before they are wiped, and then restore them after the rooting process.
What do I need to do in order to qualify for the bounty amount?
You need to release a root method that allows the TA partition which contains sensitive information including the DRM keys, to be backed up (before) and restored (after) the root process. Thus preserving the original Camera functionality. The first person who creates such a method will receive the bounty. Either this, or you come up with an entirely different way that still is confirmed to work.
How much is the bounty?
See below.
__________________________________________________
Bounty total: $695
misi444 - $100
charlatan01 - $50
unbaix - $50
ishemes - $50
SyLvEsTeR20007 - $40
AJHutchinson - $35
monsterjamp - $35
iKlutz - $35
dazza9075 - $35
Corgism - $25
the_brad - $25
GeramanX - $20
aquaboy11 - $20
chesterr - $20
arjun.arora - $20
预谋时间 - $20
karrouma - $20
ameel - $20
serajr - $20
gauthamsv - $20
bahkata - $20
will0n - $15
Charos87 - $10
ryanz999 - $10​
Updated: 03/10 @ 2pm EST

I'll add 50.

Count me in with €25

me too i will donate

I am currently working on a DRM fix for XZP. With a little bit luck, I will get this done. But it's really hard to find a good way.

I'll pledge 20 euros.

$20 from me

leijonasisu said:
Not sure if this is allowed any more but I'm going to try for it anyway.
We had a bounty thread for many other phones for root and other options etc.
I'll personally donate €100 to whoever can successfully provide a method to root the Sony Xperia XZ Premium, that also allows the backup/restore of the original DRM keys so the camera functionality is not lost.
If not against the rules. Other members can add their bounties here too and I'll keep the first post updated.
Whoever ends up doing this, feel free to send me a PM so I can make the donation after confirming
_____________________________________________________
Bounty total: €100
Leijonasisu - €100
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I don't think you guys would ever see this, or at least anytime soon.
Why? Android is getting increasingly secure and it's progressively getting harder and harder to backup TA keys.
If a breach is found and people manage to backup their keys, it's a massive security risk and poses a threat to many users out there, by right even when root is attained, hackers shouldn't be able to do much(Sony-RIC + SElinux) even the dirty cow exploit was a pain in the ass to figure out(search up the thread, the developers have a good explanation on how it works)
TA key workarounds for camera and such may be possible however.
So, will you guys eventually get a backup solution? Maybe. But it will be a long time till then. I hope my input can shine some light on the situation and why you guys don't have a backup solution.
Enjoy your device's and have a good day.

I'm in with 20 dollars.

Hey, I have done some analyse month ago, have no device to try anything more but thing which I found related to drm and unlock key from an unlocked trim area dump of the xzp... I found that unlock key unit which is unit which always get's created to trim area when device gets unlocked. These thing exists only on pre xzp models but on xzp I found unlock key unit is no more in trim area! Don't own phone to make an direct emmc dump for analyse but unlock key unit definitelly is outside of trim area! Probably booth things (drm key + unlock key) is out of trim area!
Edit:
Anybody have idea where is loader stored on xzp, its not in emmc? Probably inside an storage for example in an 8 pin chip? Another thing which I found, anybody saw xfl_X_BOOT_MSM8998_LA1_1_N_59_A.mbn ??? Its signed boot image, found it inside bootloader_X_BOOT_MSM8998_LA1_1_N_59_A_X-FLASH-ALL-42E5.sin , maybe you can try boot it with fastboot?

munjeni said:
Hey, I have done some analyse month ago, have no device to try anything more but thing which I found related to drm and unlock key from an unlocked trim area dump of the xzp... I found that unlock key unit which is unit which always get's created to trim area when device gets unlocked. These thing exists only on pre xzp models but on xzp I found unlock key unit is no more in trim area! Don't own phone to make an direct emmc dump for analyse but unlock key unit definitelly is outside of trim area! Probably booth things (drm key + unlock key) is out of trim area!
Edit:
Anybody have idea where is loader stored on xzp, its not in emmc? Probably inside an storage for example in an 8 pin chip? Another thing which I found, anybody saw xfl_X_BOOT_MSM8998_LA1_1_N_59_A.mbn ??? Its signed boot image, found it inside bootloader_X_BOOT_MSM8998_LA1_1_N_59_A_X-FLASH-ALL-42E5.sin , maybe you can try boot it with fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm on boot loader unlock allowed no so does this mean I'll never be able to get root and backup my TA?
Thanks

brockyneo said:
I'm on boot loader unlock allowed no so does this mean I'll never be able to get root and backup my TA?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You won't be able to get root nope.

brockyneo said:
I'm on boot loader unlock allowed no so does this mean I'll never be able to get root and backup my TA?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These days getting root is not a easy job, but CVE's is still present since kernel is not a bug free, always new CVE is coming on, hope somebody find an CVE which will give you root chance. Definitelly you can get root, just wait! But thing which you definitely can't get is bootloader unlock, so don't try to unlock your bootloader since that's not possible.

Making bootloader unlock allowed NO to YES is possible if you go to the sony oficial centre and reguest it, see explanation about whats going on http://sony.yt/topic/7680-bootloader-unlock-allowed-status-no-to-yes/
Edit:
Forgot something... You are the owner of the phone, you paid for the phone, and it is your right to ask to become the full owner of your phone, right?

munjeni said:
Making bootloader unlock allowed NO to YES is possible if you go to the sony oficial centre and reguest it, see explanation about whats going on http://sony.yt/topic/7680-bootloader-unlock-allowed-status-no-to-yes/
Edit:
Forgot something... You are the owner of the phone, you paid for the phone, and it is your right to ask to become the full owner of your phone, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol ww can only hope but i dont think ive read a single case where someone has been able to get it changed from unlock allowed NO to YES :victory:
thanks and hope one day we will be able too

20$

I'll donate $50.

I don't own this device, but thinking about on newer xperias (XZ1 and and onwards), I'm in with 20U$

I'll pledge $20

Updated first post, added the additional bounties offered by generous members here to the total.
I hope we can get this to happen ASAP, this is a fantastic phone and I am sure that a method to backup the DRM keys would also be workable on other new models before a patch.

What happens to the One Plus 5 if I unlock the bootloader?

Greetings! I have just ordered my new OP5 and now I hat a Sony Z5. If you were Xperia users, you know that after unlock the bootloader, you lost permanently (or you did a backup before) a speial partition where Sony put very important data for the device (like the camera quality for example).
I know myself ad I have fear that if I unlock the bootloader I lose some imoprtant data or something so my question is: which consequences do you have if you unlock the OP5? Do you lose something important like in the Sony devices or not?
Thank you very much and sorry of there's a thread where you must post this questions :crying:

Unlocking the bootloader basically resets your phone and you lose data plus any apps you installed but you don't lose anything like what you are describing --you just need to set up your phone again. The biggest problem you would encounter is that Android Pay probably wouldn't work unless you flash a custom kernel. Default Android behavior is that if you unlock the bootloader you automatically can't pass Safety Net and I don't think OnePlus or any other phone maker that runs Android is officially allowed to change that behavior --which is why you need a custom kernel to still pass Safety Net.

Oh, and you have a screen at boot that pretty much states that the bootloader has been unlocked.
Not sure why we still have to deal with this as this has been masked on a few other model phones, like the Axon 7, and with all the dev's available for the one+ it's surprising this hasn't been sorted for us too...

So far after unlocking my bootloader and rooting with magisk, android pay is unavailable. I didn't use it much anyways as out here in rural country midwest (USA) it isn't very widespread. As far as warranty goes it is still in effect and 1+ also has a guide for restoring your phone to stock too. It's definitely a great phone for customizing and trying new things with. I didn't apply a new ROM though as most ROMs available at this time are still a work in progress and not what I deem entirely stable. I'm sure someone here will contradict me, but I'm doing fine with what I've got so far.

prozo said:
So far after unlocking my bootloader and rooting with magisk, android pay is unavailable. I didn't use it much anyways as out here in rural country midwest (USA) it isn't very widespread. As far as warranty goes it is still in effect and 1+ also has a guide for restoring your phone to stock too. It's definitely a great phone for customizing and trying new things with. I didn't apply a new ROM though as most ROMs available at this time are still a work in progress and not what I deem entirely stable. I'm sure someone here will contradict me, but I'm doing fine with what I've got so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Works for me on stock 7.1.1....
Sent from my OnePlus5 using XDA Labs

Essentially, if you're happy with how your phone is working, there is no need to unlock the boot loader and root. There is no point to unlock the bootloader and then not root .
Unlocking the bootloader allows custom recoveries and roms/kernels to be installed onto the phone.
It also allows such things as substratum, xposed and magisk to be installed as these apps generally require root priveliges that aren't available with a locked bootloader and being unrooted.
Customisation can be easier, Bloat can be removed instead of just frozen and tweaks can be applied BUT there is a downside too as this has effectively breached Googles security and will break certain apps (mostly banking but there has been reports of streaming apps being affected too on other forums).
Luckily as you have the One+5 you can, if you wish, revert to stock and relock the bootloader thus reverting all changes, unlocking most other phones which will destroy any hope of getting warranty or a relocked bootloader.
Just be sure you HAVE got it back to stock 1st however as having anything different, (kernel,rom or recovery) may very well brick your device once you relock the bootloader.

prozo said:
So far after unlocking my bootloader and rooting with magisk, android pay is unavailable. I didn't use it much anyways as out here in rural country midwest (USA) it isn't very widespread. As far as warranty goes it is still in effect and 1+ also has a guide for restoring your phone to stock too. It's definitely a great phone for customizing and trying new things with. I didn't apply a new ROM though as most ROMs available at this time are still a work in progress and not what I deem entirely stable. I'm sure someone here will contradict me, but I'm doing fine with what I've got so far.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to flash a custom kernel to pass safety net. It won't work with the stock kernel. Blu Spark seems to be the official unofficial kernel and you could easily flash that one and forget it as it is pretty fast and smooth as is. Boeffla kernel is built for stability and is rock solid but if you don't tweak the settings at all you might notice a slight drop in performance from stock. Either one will allow you to pass Safety Net and can improve the speed and performance of the phone over stock. Boeffla also includes a fix for the auto brightness making the phone too dim by allowing you to set a minimum screen brightness that it won't go below.

If I only root the device, will I be able to use Android Pay?

Struziu said:
If I only root the device, will I be able to use Android Pay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't root without unlocking the bootloader

Hey,
I'm aware this is thread is pretty old, but I'm wondering how things are now? It's been quite some time since I've touched any bootloaders or custom roms and I'm interested in testing android 11 with my op5. What are the downsides with unlocking your bootloader and installing a custom rom?
Google pay not working?
Banking apps not working?
Netflix not working?
I tried searching this forum and googling around and I really could not find any answers. And none of the custom rom threads I checked mention safetynet.

LG-H873 (Canada) G6

Does anyone know if the TWRP (international) version works on this (Canada) version of the G6? What I would like to do is install TWRP and Lineage OS, however, neither TWRP or Lineage have a LG-H873 version of their downloads.
As far as Lineage OS is concerned, the G6 versions they have are for the EU and the US. TWRP only has an International version listed, whatever that is? International as far as the US is concerned, or South Korea?
The technical specifications for LG-H873 are identical to the LG-US997, however, does anyone have any further knowledge about any differences between the two models?
Hope someone can help. Thanks to those who try.

Your version of the G6 (Canadian) cannot officially have it's bootloader unlocked and subsequently (unfortunately) there are no options at all for you.. as far as installing TWRP, root or custom ROMS goes..

Clarify the LG-H873 Status and possible future please
Anarchist77 said:
Your version of the G6 (Canadian) cannot officially have it's bootloader unlocked and subsequently (unfortunately) there are no options at all for you.. as far as installing TWRP, root or custom ROMS goes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know there was no exploit for the lg-h873 bootloader unlock as of yet, but based on the above, is this saying that our handset is unlikely to ever be unlocked due to some technical reason? I am quite nervous when I see most posts about this are from last spring, and here we are 2018, with no sign of any work or progress or anything. Just the seemingly resigned line that it's not possible. Can someone clarify this? I just got this phone right before christmas, and I am freaking livid at finding this out. Anyone have any advice if this is a likely permanent problem on how to approach getting the handset switched or exchanged with the carrier or other due to this "gotcha" bullSh it?
---------- Post added at 09:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:22 PM ----------
Frodobongins said:
I know there was no exploit for the lg-h873 bootloader unlock as of yet, but based on the above, is this saying that our handset is unlikely to ever be unlocked due to some technical reason? I am quite nervous when I see most posts about this are from last spring, and here we are 2018, with no sign of any work or progress or anything. Just the seemingly resigned line that it's not possible. Can someone clarify this? I just got this phone right before christmas, and I am freaking livid at finding this out. Anyone have any advice if this is a likely permanent problem on how to approach getting the handset switched or exchanged with the carrier or other due to this "gotcha" bullSh it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously, not meaning calling them up and saying "HEY, you blocked my hacking/rooting". In case that wasn't clear. I'm not above misrepresenting myself on THIS issue if the outcome is positive. Just returning the favor. By the way, the carrier is Telus if that matters

The bootloader is locked and that is final. Unless someone finds a massive exploit, there will be no root or ROM's for phones that have locked bootloader. I have the H873 on Koodo and it sucks but LG's stock rom is good enough.

I also have the Canadian variant and tbh I feel that (for me at least) rooting is not necessary.
Don't get me wrong, every other android phones that I owned were rooted and I loved it!
But with the G6, the stock ROM is not bad at all! The two main things I was "afraid" of at first were bloatware and ads (missing adaway) but you can debloat with the ADB method and I'm using blokada for blocking ads and I must say I'm very happy with this phone!
Other thing is, root means no android pay and that's something I'm planning to try very soon!
So no root is not as bad as I thought at first!

Anarchist77 said:
Your version of the G6 (Canadian) cannot officially have it's bootloader unlocked and subsequently (unfortunately) there are no options at all for you.. as far as installing TWRP, root or custom ROMS goes..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for this, I had no idea that this was the case. I'm going to guess that the locked bootloader must be the difference between the Canadian and US versions.

moxon04 said:
I also have the Canadian variant and tbh I feel that (for me at least) rooting is not necessary.
Don't get me wrong, every other android phones that I owned were rooted and I loved it!
But with the G6, the stock ROM is not bad at all! The two main things I was "afraid" of at first were bloatware and ads (missing adaway) but you can debloat with the ADB method and I'm using blokada for blocking ads and I must say I'm very happy with this phone!
Other thing is, root means no android pay and that's something I'm planning to try very soon!
So no root is not as bad as I thought at first!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using Android pay, no problems and it works very well. It's a shame that only a few Canadian banks are accepting it. However, you can put your Canadian Tire money card on it, along with Air Miles, Aeroplan and Scene rewards cards.

Android pay works well

justinxfan said:
The bootloader is locked and that is final. Unless someone finds a massive exploit, there will be no root or ROM's for phones that have locked bootloader. I have the H873 on Koodo and it sucks but LG's stock rom is good enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
At the risk of sounding stupid or slow.....| The above is clear, but I was seeking clarification as to the status. As in, is the bootloader being locked something that is permanent? or reversible? Something that could be unlocked by LG if they so desired (like if they decided "hey, we should open the bootloader like we do for other countries) as some point). Not saying they ever would do so. But I was curious if this was the kind of thing where technical reasons or architecture made it impossible with the existing model. Or if LG could technically roll out a software patch that allowed it to unlock. Forgive me for sounding stupid here. I have been rooting every samsung phone and tablet I've come across going back to the s2 (roughly 7 devices). Each one of those, whatever the case or obstruction, eventually that root was available. So here is my very first LG device, and I'm so used to it being a given that access was possible...eventually, that I can't figure out why this fairly popular handset is basically a write off. Yes, no need to repeat, because the bootloader is locked. But of all the devices with root access possible, have none of them had locked bootloaders? Is there something structurally harder to get around with LG vs others? Please indulge me a little more detail as to why this is so unlikely. Thanks in advance

Frodobongins said:
At the risk of sounding stupid or slow.....| The above is clear, but I was seeking clarification as to the status. As in, is the bootloader being locked something that is permanent? or reversible? Something that could be unlocked by LG if they so desired (like if they decided "hey, we should open the bootloader like we do for other countries) as some point). Not saying they ever would do so. But I was curious if this was the kind of thing where technical reasons or architecture made it impossible with the existing model. Or if LG could technically roll out a software patch that allowed it to unlock. Forgive me for sounding stupid here. I have been rooting every samsung phone and tablet I've come across going back to the s2 (roughly 7 devices). Each one of those, whatever the case or obstruction, eventually that root was available. So here is my very first LG device, and I'm so used to it being a given that access was possible...eventually, that I can't figure out why this fairly popular handset is basically a write off. Yes, no need to repeat, because the bootloader is locked. But of all the devices with root access possible, have none of them had locked bootloaders? Is there something structurally harder to get around with LG vs others? Please indulge me a little more detail as to why this is so unlikely. Thanks in advance
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if LG wanted to, they could set up a system for you to unlock your bootloader, no update required, it's all done via their website.
You pop in your IMEI, and it's supposed to spit out your bootloader unlock code. This has only been done in a few countries.
There is going to be little development on this device though because it is NOT popular at all. Too expensive at launch, and price only came down when the S8 came out. Since it only has the 821, the type of enthusiast that would work on that type of unlock didn't even bother.
Even LG seems to have abandoned it already.

OEM Unlock Option
There is an OEM unlock option in the H873
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"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
httxx://imgur.com/a/tUTkl <- Screenshot from my phone.

OEM unlock
Now that my Fido lg g6 has been updated to Oreo there is oem unlock in dev options . What does that mean for me ? Does that mean that there is a chance for TWRP ? Could this lead to custom ROM ? If I swipe to OEM unlock now what would happen to my phone ?
If you can explain these to me I would very much appreciate it .?

Rpx666 said:
There is an OEM unlock option in the H873
httxx://imgur.com/a/tUTkl <- Screenshot from my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello what is your thème please ?
Thanks in advance

sigahotcore said:
Now that my Fido lg g6 has been updated to Oreo there is oem unlock in dev options . What does that mean for me ? Does that mean that there is a chance for TWRP ? Could this lead to custom ROM ? If I swipe to OEM unlock now what would happen to my phone ?
If you can explain these to me I would very much appreciate it .?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It means nothing. We have had the option since Nougat. We are still not supported by official bootloader unlock.

Thanks

moxon04 said:
I also have the Canadian variant and tbh I feel that (for me at least) rooting is not necessary.
Don't get me wrong, every other android phones that I owned were rooted and I loved it!
But with the G6, the stock ROM is not bad at all! The two main things I was "afraid" of at first were bloatware and ads (missing adaway) but you can debloat with the ADB method and I'm using blokada for blocking ads and I must say I'm very happy with this phone!
Other thing is, root means no android pay and that's something I'm planning to try very soon!
So no root is not as bad as I thought at first!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you please explain or direct me to info on how to debloat using adb in LG G6? I have a LG G6 from Fido.

Yes . That would be nice to know , how to debloat using ADB
Also , how would I go about making UI as close as possible to stock Android ?

Found this on another xda thread (credit to AM Radio)
1. get latest LG Universal Mobile Drivers (currently v4.2.0)
http://www.lg.com/us/support/software-firmware-drivers
- click on "LG Mobile Drivers" and click on "Windows"
- right-click, run/install as Admin
2. grab latest ADB binary, link provided on XDA
https://www.xda-developers.com/googl...ary-downloads/
- extract the "platform-tools" folder
3. install Package Name Viewer 2.0 from the Playstore
https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...om.csdroid.pkg
- probably lots of apps that do the same thing, but i grabbed this one first. allows you to inspect all User and System apps on your phone, and select the ones you want into a list, and then copy that list to Keep or a text file or whatever
4. turn on USB debugging on your G6
- go to Settings > About Phone > tap Build Number until you're a developer
- go up a menu level, click on Developer Options (which should now be just above Above Phone)
- find "USB debugging' and turn it on
5. get hooked up:
- connect your G6 to your PC via USB
- on G6, change the mode to "File transfer"
- back on Windows, open the "platform-tools" folder, shift+right-click somewhere in the folder, select "Open command window here"
- type command (without quotes): "adb devices"
- in the command window, you will see confirmation that the daemon is started, and the name of your device
- if you get a dialogue box on the G6 re: USB debugging, just click "ok"
- type command (without quotes): "adb shell"
- in the command window, you will now see the "lucye:/ $" prompt
6. time to get cooking
- at the prompt, type (without quotes):
"pm uninstall -k --user 0 [PackageNameOfTheAppYouWannaRemove]"
- example:
pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.lge.bnr
- hit Enter, and kaboom: LG Mobile Switch is gone.
- repeat as necessary, referencing that handy list you prepared in Step 3
---------- Post added at 07:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 AM ----------
sigahotcore said:
Yes . That would be nice to know , how to debloat using ADB
Also , how would I go about making UI as close as possible to stock Android ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For stock android look and feel, I would suggest a custom launcher... I have used Nova in the past but you can search for others to get the best stock android experience.

Thanks friend . That is excellent guide . Much appreciated.?

H873 unlock bootloader need help
Hi guys,I bought a LS993 carrier unlocked with flashed firmware of H873 and I read on the internet that the bootloader cant be unlocked.I tried to go in ADB before but I didnt get a positive result but with the latest update I tried again and this time it was successful.Maybe someone of you people will tell me what to do to unlock the bootloader because I have access to ADB reboot bootloader command and so on.I really want a custom rom for our device and can help with everything I can.If someone can help maybe our device will be unlocked and possible to root.Reply in this thread or by PM.