Database Users

[GUIDE]Redeem the Free 100GB Google Drive Promo if you were unable to...

The Free Google Drive space promotion was recently increased from 65GB to 100GB. So, there is more reason than ever to get this great offer.
If however, like me, you rooted your phone and found out you couldn't redeem it... and also read some people claiming that HTC wouldn't provide a code to redeem the offer because you had unlocked the bootloader... Follow the steps below to get this offer without dealing at all with HTC.
There are two primary obstacles to redeeming this offer. Since you rooted your phone, you have unlocked the bootloader. Even if you have relocked it using fastboot oem lock, this will still prevent the Drive App from displaying the offer screeen. The problem is that when you use fastboot oem lock, you are changing the status of the bootloader to ***RELOCKED*** . What you need is a factory default bootloader lock, which displays as ***LOCKED*** on the hBoot screen.
Plus, if you attain S-Off after unlocking your bootloader following HTCDev, it is very possible you will have a
*** TAMPERED ***
banner on your hboot screen. This must be removed as well.
HUGE thanks to Scotty1223 who first shared the methods for removing the TAMPERED banner and locking the bootloader to factory default several months ago. I am just consolidating those steps plus some other minor info into a sequential series of steps in one place for convenience.
These steps presume you have ADB installed, and have not changed your CID.
STEPS to GET TO STOCK FOR PURPOSES OF THE GOOGLE DRIVE PROMO.
1. Make a Nandroid backup using TWRP or CWM.
2. Get S-Off.
Use Sunshine or some other method to get S-Off. Link to Sunshine S-Off apk
3. Remove ***TAMPERED*** Banner.
If you have a ***TAMPERED*** banner on your hboot screen, follow the steps below (thanks to Scotty1223 for sharing this method). ADB must be installed!!! You can go to the first step of this thread to install a compact version
Connect your phone to your PC. Open up a terminal (as administrator in Windows...or as root in Linux) and cd to the adb directory (which contains fastboot, etc.).
Enter the following:
adb devices
You should see your device's serial number appear on the screen... If so, you are all good. If not, please check your ADB install..... there are many many guides to getting this set up.
Now we are going into the ADB Shell, which is like a terminal emulator from the OS on your phone. Enter the following:
adb shell
to enter the shell. You will be presented with a prompt... most likely it will be
[email protected]_m8: / $
Enter the following command to get root in ADB
su
[Very important note: You need this for superuser privileges on your phone... Make sure to wait for a prompt that looks like the following:
[email protected]_m8:/ #.
(if you are getting something different, don't worry... Just make sure there is a '#' at the end of the prompt)
If it hangs and only shows the first prompt like this:
[email protected]_m8: / $ <== note the '$' at the end
Then hit return in your terminal window on your PC (whether in windows or linux). It may exit automatically from the shell.
If this happens, it is because you have not used adb shell yet and have SuperSU (or Superuser) on default settings, which is to prompt the first time an app asks for root privileges. You should see a toast/dialog box on your phone that requests superuser permissions for "ADB Shell". Grant them, and then enter adb shell again from the terminal window on your PC. Now the root prompt (in red above) should show up in the terminal window.]
Now copy the line below and paste it into the terminal window on your PC at the root prompt:
echo -ne '\x00' | dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p6 bs=1 seek=5314564
You should get something like this in response:
ock/mmcblk0p6 bs=1 seek=5314564 <
1+0 records in
1+0 records out
1 bytes transferred in 0.007 secs (142 bytes/sec)
If not, double check that you copied the above line correctly, that there are no spaces before the 'echo', and enter it again.
Then enter:
adb reboot bootloader
This will boot into hboot. Confirm that the ***TAMPERED*** is in fact not showing on the hboot screen.
Back in your terminal on your PC, enter:
fastboot reboot
to reboot the phone.
4. Lock the bootloader.
To lock the bootloader the correct way, you must follow the steps below. As far as I have determined, it is the same for all carriers of the HTC One M8. Again, a big thanks to Scotty1223 for this very cool route to locking the bootloader.
Like step 3, above, we are going into the ADB Shell, which is like a terminal emulator from the OS on your phone. If you do not have ADB installed on your PC, there are ample resources all over the internet for getting this installed...
Enter the following:
adb shell
to enter the shell. You will be presented with a prompt... most likely it will be
[email protected]_m8: / $
Enter the following command to get root in ADB
su
[IMPORTANT NOTE: See warning under Step 3 about getting a root prompt]
Then copy and paste this into your terminal on your PC:
echo -ne '\x00\x00\x00\x00' | dd of=/dev/block/mmcblk0p2 bs=1 seek=33796
And lastly:
exit
(exit a second time if you need to to get back to a normal > prompt)
adb reboot bootloader
Confirm that your bootloader shows a ***LOCKED*** banner (and not ***RELOCKED***).
Back in your terminal on your PC, enter:
fastboot reboot
to reboot the phone
5. Getting to Stock.
****If you have NOT touched the stock Rom at all, nor deleted any system apps (essentially you have merely rooted and flashed a stock recovery) you can skip this step (no need to perform either step 5a or 5b). Just Reboot and finish with step 7.
To get the Google Drive storage you need to be running near to stock.. This means you need the stock firmware, and the stock Sense Rom (including all system applications). Many people will not have to worry about firmware or system applications. However, if you switched to an AOSP/AOKP Rom or a different kernel, then you do. Depending on your situation, follow step 5a OR step 5b.
5a. If you have switched to an AOSP/AOKP Rom, and are unsure about your firmware being correct and/or stock, an easy way to get all of the components which make up full stock (stock rom, stock firmware, stock hboot) is to flash an RUU from your carrier (see M8 forum for your carrier...there should be a roll-up thread with links and instructions to flash an RUU. NOTE: For anyone reading this thread that somehow managed to lock the bootloader without S-off, It is highly recommended NOT TO FLASH AN RUU WITH BOOTLOADER LOCKED AND S-ON. You must have S-OFF to flash an RUU with a locked bootloader).​
5b. If you don't have to worry about firmware, but have deleted several system apps or otherwise altered the stock Rom, then you should restore a stock nandroid or find and flash a stock Rom. You should again go to the HTC One M8 forum for your carrier to get these items. If restoring a stock nandroid backup, make sure you have made a backup (as instructed in Step 1) so you have the right folder structure (whether you are using TWRP stock nandroid or a CWM stock nandroid) on the SD in which to place the stock nandroid.​
6. Reboot.
7. REDEEM OFFER!
Go to the Play Store and uninstall any and all Google Drive updates (I did not have any, but in some cases Drive may have updated while you were rooted). After uninstalling any Drive updates, you should be able to go into the Drive app, and see the promo screen immediately and redeem the promo. If you do not see any screen with the offer, select "Product Tour" from the dropdown menu and go through the various "tour" screens. At the end it will show you the offer—it will probably be for 65GB. After you accept the offer however, it will say "an extra 50GB has been added to your Google Drive storage (so 65GB + 50GB = 115GB)
Again a big thank you to Scott1223 for the methods which allow us to go back and get this offer!!!
....and also thank you to jshamlet, kabuts, rcharliesam, phil.culler for helping me in some other threads!!!!
And exocetdj for his awesome help!!!!!!!
Please comment!

extremely well put out guide mate :good:
Maybe worth merging this with other thread so people have it all in one place?
One post for original method and then the next for this one? both brilliantly relevant

exocetdj said:
extremely well put out guide mate :good:
Maybe worth merging this with other thread so people have it all in one place?
One post for original method and then the next for this one? both brilliantly relevant
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a guide to get the Google Drive offer? I only saw various threads discussing it and threads explaining how to get back to stock...or Scotty1223's method to lock the bootloader.
I wouldn't have compiled a complete guide if there was one already. I hope I didn't miss it.
I started one in the other thread...but it was just a post in the third page of a thread discussing the Drive offer and discussing ways to get it (like contacting HTC, etc. (But thank you for reminding me-- I really should link that post to this thread since the guide in that post is old).
Let me know where the other guide is and I will try to get them merged or linked or something.

syntropic said:
Is there a guide to get the Google Drive offer? I only saw various threads discussing it and threads explaining how to get back to stock...or Scotty1223's method to lock the bootloader.
I wouldn't have compiled a complete guide if there was one already. I hope I didn't miss it.
I started one in the other thread...but it was just a post in the third page of a thread discussing the Drive offer and discussing ways to get it (like contacting HTC, etc. (But thank you for reminding me-- I really should link that post to this thread since the guide in that post is old).
Let me know where the other guide is and I will try to get them merged or linked or something.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HERE is is
They are about the same thing, may be better if everything is in the same place. have a word with the OP and see what he thinks then ask a mod, they should be able to help out

I got the 'not applicable due to tampering' error, but not going to bother with the hassle of relocking the bootloader. I probably would be interested in this offer if my BT Broadband wasn't so utterly dreadful that uploading anything takes a lifetime.
The offer's two years would be up by the time I'd finished uploading this year's holiday snaps

exocetdj said:
HERE is is
They are about the same thing, may be better if everything is in the same place. have a word with the OP and see what he thinks then ask a mod, they should be able to help out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just a thread debating ways some people were able to get it... Posts point to threads to lock the bootloader, and other posts state the tampered banner needs to be removed but no links.... It's a mess for anyone that doesn't understand what all needs to be done, nor how to do it.
That's why I compiled the thread here...it takes all the endless discussions, and just condenses it into a straightforward sequence of steps to get it.

syntropic said:
That's just a thread debating ways some people were able to get it... Posts point to threads to lock the bootloader, and other posts state the tampered banner needs to be removed but no links.... It's a mess for anyone that doesn't understand what all needs to be done, nor how to do it.
That's why I compiled the thread here...it takes all the endless discussions, and just condenses it into a straightforward sequence of steps to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fair point, as u were soldier!!!! :good:

Save yourself all this time/effort. Just chat with HTC support on their website. Takes less than 5 minutes and they email you a link to activate the extra space. I did this for both my phone and my wife's phone, when they had been unlocked for months already.

I was able to redeem the offer rather quickly, followed your directions, installed a stock rom, redeemed the promotion and nandroid back to Venom within 30 minutes. Mostly because I was reading like an idiot (totally exhausted from work.)
Thanks.

nomisunrider said:
Save yourself all this time/effort. Just chat with HTC support on their website. Takes less than 5 minutes and they email you a link to activate the extra space. I did this for both my phone and my wife's phone, when they had been unlocked for months already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its luck of the draw... when this happened to me... I read everywhere, and out of everyone I spoke to who had to go to HTC because they couldn't redeem it through the Drive app, about 15% of them chatted with an HTC rep who either: (a) never asked them a single question and just sent them an email with a promo code link; (b) asked them to confirm that the caller "has not unlocked the bootloader or rooted their phone" (in which case the caller would need to lie and say "no sir! I would never do something foolish like that" and then get the email with the promo code), or (c) the rep asked them their IMEI, then said in a wry voice "I see you requested a bootloader unlock token...." (almost as if the rep was leading the caller to admit he unlocked the bootloader—and if he did...no promo).
The other 85% (who for the most part unlocked their bootloader using HTCDev) could not get the Drive deal because HTC had it on file they requested an unlock token... and in most of these cases, HTC was resolute on the offer being ineligible for those who unlocked their BL.
Given those odds—and the fear of choking if I called/chatted with HTC and had to lie—I opted to take the above steps and create a guide for anyone who needed it. Trust me... I would not have bothered to make it if it sounded like it was simple matter of contacting HTC.

I was debating going through all of this to get the offer since I'm cheap and don't want to pay for dropbox right now.
I did the online chat, and they didn't ask me any questions. I just said I tried to do it over crappy wifi connection early and it failed and now it won't redeem.
I have a Verizon edition however, so I can't unlock with HTC dev which is likely why I didn't get asked questions. My backup was to say something stupid like "unlock....? Like with my SIM code? Or the lockscreen code? Yea, I did that."
Fortunately they didn't ask and were really nice. But thanks for this guide; i was about to switch ROMs so I had just made a nandroid and was about to try and get it to redeem the hard way.
If you have Verizon or used Sunshine (or similar) I would try their support first.

Thanks very much for taking the time to write this guide.
In my case I was also just able to get in touch with HTC via chat and give them my IMEI, no need to relock, revert to stock etc.

I lost my 65gb free storage. Is there anyway to recover it?
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

syntropic said:
I think its luck of the draw... when this happened to me... I read everywhere, and out of everyone I spoke to who had to go to HTC because they couldn't redeem it through the Drive app, about 15% of them chatted with an HTC rep who either: (a) never asked them a single question and just sent them an email with a promo code link; (b) asked them to confirm that the caller "has not unlocked the bootloader or rooted their phone" (in which case the caller would need to lie and say "no sir! I would never do something foolish like that" and then get the email with the promo code), or (c) the rep asked them their IMEI, then said in a wry voice "I see you requested a bootloader unlock token...." (almost as if the rep was leading the caller to admit he unlocked the bootloader—and if he did...no promo).
The other 85% (who for the most part unlocked their bootloader using HTCDev) could not get the Drive deal because HTC had it on file they requested an unlock token... and in most of these cases, HTC was resolute on the offer being ineligible for those who unlocked their BL.
Given those odds—and the fear of choking if I called/chatted with HTC and had to lie—I opted to take the above steps and create a guide for anyone who needed it. Trust me... I would not have bothered to make it if it sounded like it was simple matter of contacting HTC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. I was one of those who unlocked the bootloader through HTCDev. I called HTC, the rep asked for my IMEI number, and I got the activation email within 5 minutes. No mention of unlocked bootloaders. I guess it really depends on how laid back the rep is.

adotkdotjh said:
Interesting. I was one of those who unlocked the bootloader through HTCDev. I called HTC, the rep asked for my IMEI number, and I got the activation email within 5 minutes. No mention of unlocked bootloaders. I guess it really depends on how laid back the rep is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who knows too if there has been an internal policy change? HTC's website (I can't remember where) states that you are not eligible for the storage if you unlocked your bootloader. About a month ago, the threads I saw on this topic were more of a warning to get it first and then root or else you can't get it.
But since this phone has been out for 6 months and a lot of upfront costs are reduced (for me, I paid $0 to get it under TMO), a lot more people are getting this phone.
Plus Google changed the promo from 65GB to 100GB about a month ago...so it's possible that HTC has encountered higher-than-expected number of purchasers who unlocked the bootloader and also want the Google Drive storage. And maybe recently they have decided relax their restrictions... I am sure that those who were told no were angry. I know that had I ended up calling/chatting with HTC and they said "sorry, you unlocked your bootloader", I would have been very upset.

syntropic said:
Who knows too if there has been an internal policy change? HTC's website (I can't remember where) states that you are not eligible for the storage if you unlocked your bootloader. About a month ago, the threads I saw on this topic were more of a warning to get it first and then root or else you can't get it.
But since this phone has been out for 6 months and a lot of upfront costs are reduced (for me, I paid $0 to get it under TMO), a lot more people are getting this phone.
Plus Google changed the promo from 65GB to 100GB about a month ago...so it's possible that HTC has encountered higher-than-expected number of purchasers who unlocked the bootloader and also want the Google Drive storage. And maybe recently they have decided relax their restrictions... I am sure that those who were told no were angry. I know that had I ended up calling/chatting with HTC and they said "sorry, you unlocked your bootloader", I would have been very upset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah policy change could definitely happened. Then again, I was dealing with HTC Canada, so that may have been the difference. I didn't even know the offer was changed to 100GB. Htc advantage website still said 65gb when I called htc to redeem the offer several weeks ago, and when I saw they gave me 100gb, I thought the extra space was their way of saying "sorry for trouble".

Just got my 100gb free through HTC chat. Very easy just needed my name phone number and email address :good:
Congratulations!
+100GB
added for 2 years
Go to Google Drive
But this guide is very much appreciated i was just hoping I wouldn't have to go this route. Thank you very much for taking the time to share

Less work necessary for me
i followed your great guide to redeem the Drive's extra space successfully however i only had to do the:
TEMPERED OUT Removed
UNLOCKED BOOTLOADER Removed
Running Viper without many stock apps
So i avoided all the returning to stock rom and nandroid backup.
Thanks again man

Hello,
thanks for this write-up! All you need to do is remove TAMPERED flag and LOCK bootloader. There is no need to go back to stock
Thanks one more time!

I was also able to get the offer after contacting the htc support via the live chat.
I didn't bothered with getting back to stock or anything - I just pinged them, was asked for my serial etc. and got an offer email with my 100GB.
No word about the htc dev token I have requested etc. - after about 3 minutes I received email stating that:
Based on your ticket ##TicketNumber## we have increased the storage space for your Google Drive account. In order to access the additional space, please visit the website via the link listed below.
and with the activation link...
---------- Post added at 09:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:21 PM ----------
pastynko said:
Hello,
thanks for this write-up! All you need to do is remove TAMPERED flag and LOCK bootloader. There is no need to go back to stock
Thanks one more time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True - on my M7, it was all about the locked bootloader....

How can I unbrick nexus 6p if I didn't unlock bootloader or OEM?

I'm new to Android. Recently I got a new nexus 6p. I was so confused that whether I have to unlock bootloader or not. Currently I just want to experience the pure Android simply without rooting or changing anything. But I heard a lot about bricked nexus 6 that the device would not be manually fixed if it was not bootloader unlocked before. As I am in China where I have no warranty for my nexus 6p, I have to keep my device safe as possible as I can.
So my question is under the circumstance that I haven't unlocked bootloader or OEM:
How much probability could it be I do nothing but unexpectedly brick the device?
If it is bricked, is it possible to recover it?
Do common nexus 6p users have to unlock bootloader?
Another important thing should be mentioned. Generally I can't access to any service by google in China, so I utilize a proxy tool to get over the great firewall to use google. Is there any experience about the situation like me? I also heard a saying that upgrading nexus 6 firmware by OTA through a proxy tool in China may brick the device, because google can not save the upgrading information of the device for the reason that the proxy IP is not static, then google will push update again, and once you click it, brick.
Puzzled enough...Thanks in advance.

I am not 100% certain what you are asking... If you do not unlock the bootloader, you should not be able to brick your device. The only reason to unlock it is to flash a custom ROM (not official from Google) or to flash Google factory images, which it sounds like might be necessary for you being that you are in China and may not receive OTAs properly. This is a process of downloading a file from Google and flashing to your device after unlocking the bootloader.
Your post was not exactly clear partially, but is your phone already bricked and you are trying to recover, or simply asking for your own reference?

fury683 said:
I am not 100% certain what you are asking... If you do not unlock the bootloader, you should not be able to brick your device. The only reason to unlock it is to flash a custom ROM (not official from Google) or to flash Google factory images, which it sounds like might be necessary for you being that you are in China and may not receive OTAs properly. This is a process of downloading a file from Google and flashing to your device after unlocking the bootloader.
Your post was not exactly clear partially, but is your phone already bricked and you are trying to recover, or simply asking for your own reference?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying. Could you please point out the unclear expressions? And I could edit them.
I have only unlocked nexus 6p bootloader, and the device is running well. I do not understand exactly why I have to do this, I just do it in case the situation described by other nexus 6 users happen to my nexus 6p. So I want to figure out the logic.

If you have no reason to unlock it, then you can relock it. Unlocking will always cause a full wipe (factory reset) of the device. Some users have stated that relocking the bootloader will also induce a wipe. If you want to leave it unlocked, this will allow you to flash factory images (such as updates from Google) as often as you'd like. It is possible to flash a factory image without losing any data by modifying the batch file used to flash the firmware.
Simply having the bootloader unlocked should not pose any threat to your device. You have to try very intentionally to flash firmware and risk bricking the device, it's not really something you can do by accident. The one thing I will mention is that with the bootloader unlocked, someone with the correct knowledge could flash a new image on your phone without needing your password or other security information. They would only need to power off the device, enter bootloader mode and plug into a PC to begin flashing. This would remove every trace of you and your data from the device and make it like it was brand new from the factory.
By keeping the bootloader locked and the "Allow OEM unlocking" option turned OFF, a person would need to have your password (or fingerprint) to gain access to this option in the settings, thus not allowing them to flash over the device as it is today.
Hope this helps.

fury683 said:
If you have no reason to unlock it, then you can relock it. Unlocking will always cause a full wipe (factory reset) of the device. Some users have stated that relocking the bootloader will also induce a wipe. If you want to leave it unlocked, this will allow you to flash factory images (such as updates from Google) as often as you'd like. It is possible to flash a factory image without losing any data by modifying the batch file used to flash the firmware.
Simply having the bootloader unlocked should not pose any threat to your device. You have to try very intentionally to flash firmware and risk bricking the device, it's not really something you can do by accident. The one thing I will mention is that with the bootloader unlocked, someone with the correct knowledge could flash a new image on your phone without needing your password or other security information. They would only need to power off the device, enter bootloader mode and plug into a PC to begin flashing. This would remove every trace of you and your data from the device and make it like it was brand new from the factory.
By keeping the bootloader locked and the "Allow OEM unlocking" option turned OFF, a person would need to have your password (or fingerprint) to gain access to this option in the settings, thus not allowing them to flash over the device as it is today.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
According to you, I should not be able to brick my device if I did not unlock the device. I can understand this. But the problem is I am in China...By using proxy, I could receive OTAs correctly. But some nexus 6 users in China still encountered with device bricked after upgrading firmware by OTAs even they didn't unlock bootloader. One possible reason is like what I mentioned in last paragraph #1.
I don't like the prompt each time when I reboot the device after unlocking bootloader. Let's make the problem simpler. Can I unbrick the device if it is bricked and bootloader locked?

I can't really speak to your concern regarding bricking from OTA. This should nearly never happen, but I would suspect that the proxy is the issue. If you are concerned about that particular instance being an issue, I would simply not accept the OTA and don't install it. The file will download to your device and you will see a notification very similar to this: http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/12/1c244e92c6a0cd69ca6e1a3037a05d62.jpg If you do not click Install, it will not install itself. You can click Later but usually cannot dismiss the notification. I have had the update pending on my Nexus 7 tablet that I don't often for months, but simply have not upgraded because I don't use it often enough to justify it.
If you want to be on the latest firmware for security reasons (Android 6/M will have monthly security patch releases from Google), you can download the factory images and flash yourself. However, if you believe there may be an issue because of the proxy you are using, the factory image could face the same issue as the OTA as you described. As I said, because I am not in China and do not use a proxy as you do, I cannot comment on how or why other users may have faced a hard brick scenario.
Ultimately, having the bootloader unlocked will allow you to flash the factory image over a bricked firmware caused by a corrupt (or otherwise unusable) OTA. If the phone can enter bootloader mode, you can flash the firmware and restore it to like new state. The warning message you see when booting is not able to be disabled without locking the bootloader again, but it only appears for a few moments. It was previously hidden on the Nexus 6 (not the 6p) so it might be possible in the future, but that is just a guess.

fury683 said:
I can't really speak to your concern regarding bricking from OTA. This should nearly never happen, but I would suspect that the proxy is the issue. If you are concerned about that particular instance being an issue, I would simply not accept the OTA and don't install it. The file will download to your device and you will see a notification very similar to this: If you do not click Install, it will not install itself. You can click Later but usually cannot dismiss the notification. I have had the update pending on my Nexus 7 tablet that I don't often for months, but simply have not upgraded because I don't use it often enough to justify it.
If you want to be on the latest firmware for security reasons (Android 6/M will have monthly security patch releases from Google), you can download the factory images and flash yourself. However, if you believe there may be an issue because of the proxy you are using, the factory image could face the same issue as the OTA as you described. As I said, because I am not in China and do not use a proxy as you do, I cannot comment on how or why other users may have faced a hard brick scenario.
Ultimately, having the bootloader unlocked will allow you to flash the factory image over a bricked firmware caused by a corrupt (or otherwise unusable) OTA. If the phone can enter bootloader mode, you can flash the firmware and restore it to like new state. The warning message you see when booting is not able to be disabled without locking the bootloader again, but it only appears for a few moments. It was previously hidden on the Nexus 6 (not the 6p) so it might be possible in the future, but that is just a guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK I choose to give in...leave it unlocked there.
Thank you very much!

gnange said:
OK I choose to give in...leave it unlocked there.
Thank you very much!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The decision to leave it unlocked is the right decision. The other person replying in this thread is completely wrong when he says you can't brick a phone if you don't unlock it, that's completely and utterly incorrect. Sometimes things happen, unforeseen spontaneous problems happen all the time with smartphones. If this happens to you and your bootloader is locked there's absolutely nothing you can do to fix it. So yes, leave your bootloader unlocked as an insurance policy against the unforeseen.
@fury683, I'd think twice before telling someone that nothing bad can happen to their phone as long as it's locked, this is false information, and could potentially lead to someone being unable to repair a soft-bricked device due to following your advice.

Heisenberg said:
The decision to leave it unlocked is the right decision. The other person replying in this thread is completely wrong when he says you can't brick a phone if you don't unlock it, that's completely and utterly incorrect. Sometimes things happen, unforeseen spontaneous problems happen all the time with smartphones. If this happens to you and your bootloader is locked there's absolutely nothing you can do to fix it. So yes, leave your bootloader unlocked as an insurance policy against the unforeseen.
@fury683, I'd think twice before telling someone that nothing bad can happen to their phone as long as it's locked, this is false information, and could potentially lead to someone being unable to repair a soft-bricked device due to following your advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, I said should not. I've never bricked a device from normal use.
I offered my opinion, and the reasons why. I've been burned by comments and advice from people plenty of times and try my best to help out where I can. I don't think my post was misleading, and I appreciate your comments on the matter as well.

Heisenberg said:
The decision to leave it unlocked is the right decision. The other person replying in this thread is completely wrong when he says you can't brick a phone if you don't unlock it, that's completely and utterly incorrect. Sometimes things happen, unforeseen spontaneous problems happen all the time with smartphones. If this happens to you and your bootloader is locked there's absolutely nothing you can do to fix it. So yes, leave your bootloader unlocked as an insurance policy against the unforeseen.
@fury683, I'd think twice before telling someone that nothing bad can happen to their phone as long as it's locked, this is false information, and could potentially lead to someone being unable to repair a soft-bricked device due to following your advice.
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Thanks for your advice. So, I can make the conclusion that we should unlock nexus bootloader no matter where we are, when it is and whether we will root or not, right ?

gnange said:
Thanks for your advice. So, I can make the conclusion that we should unlock nexus bootloader no matter where we are, when it is and whether we will root or not, right ?
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The choice is ultimately yours, but my advice is always to have it unlocked, that way you're able to access and use fastboot in the event that something goes wrong.

fury683 said:
To be fair, I said should not. I've never bricked a device from normal use.
I offered my opinion, and the reasons why. I've been burned by comments and advice from people plenty of times and try my best to help out where I can. I don't think my post was misleading, and I appreciate your comments on the matter as well.
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As I am new to android, your reply benefits me a lot. I notice you replied me before dawn while it was afternoon in China, thanks for your kindness but you should pay more attention to getting enough sleep, don't burn yourself out. : )

Heisenberg said:
The choice is ultimately yours, but my advice is always to have it unlocked, that way you're able to access and use fastboot in the event that something goes wrong.
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Actually I used to suppose one has to unlock bootloader only if in China. Now I get it. Thank you !

Heisenberg said:
The choice is ultimately yours, but my advice is always to have it unlocked, that way you're able to access and use fastboot in the event that something goes wrong.
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Yep what Heisenberg said is 100% true. My phone got bricked after the OTA update resulted in an error. I hadn't enabled the OEM Unlock setting, so couldn't unlock the phone. Have to wait for a replacement now

Easy Root/bootloader unlock for 6.0 MM

Sorry if this has been asked (I searched but didn't see anything) but is there an easy way to unlock the bootloader and Root / install recovery without the need for a computer? i know in the past there have been apps or flashable files that do all the heavy lifting, and I think i have seen some for pre MM, but wondering what is available now that I'm on 6.0?

Nope. You need a computer to be able to send commands to the phone via ADB and/or FASTBOOT commands.
It would be a HUGE security hole if you could run something on the phone itself, that would unlock its own bootloader and root the device. If you could do that, it would be far too easy for someone to write some kind of malware to hijack your entire device.

I think main reason for computer hookup for unlock is so that MOTO can monitor unlock devices. MXP is the only device I've owned that required putting in info thru MOTO website. Other devices such as my nexus7, OnePlus, note, didn't require this procedure. Hence, some device go have programs to unlock/root from device only.
Sent from my XT1575 using XDA Free mobile app

Htc did this too. A lot of manufacturers lock the bootloader and encrypt them, so they cannot be modified or circumvented. The OEM unlock key allows the bootloader to be modified.
Just about every manufacturer encrypts their bootloader these days. The only difference is that only some manufacturers allow any kind of unlock (such as HTC and Motorola). Other companies like Samsung keep the bootloader locked, without offering users any way of unlocking them.
Any kind of development work on a Samsung phone usually requires finding some obscure security exploit (pretty rare these days), or using something like Safestrap that hijacks the boot process.
The the only companies that don't encrypt their bootloader are companies that intentionally sell a modifiable device (Nexus), or ones that don't sell to wireless carriers (e.g. OnePlus)
It's really not some kind of conspiracy to track invalid warranties. More than likely, Motorola makes you jump through some hoops as a "skill check". If someone knows how to get their hands on ADB and FASTBOOT, and use those tools, then they probably know enough not to do something stupid that can brick their phone.
Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

What do I lose if I root my device?

*I know this must have been answered before, I am sorry for playing the newbie, but I couldn't find this anywhere.
I need to know exactly what is at stake for rooting my device, what would I lose access to, and what not.
I've read somewhere that you lose DRM or something like that, is that meaning I will not be able to watch Netflix download and go, or Google Play Music, etc? what does it means?

LionLorena said:
*I know this must have been answered before, I am sorry for playing the newbie, but I couldn't find this anywhere.
I need to know exactly what is at stake for rooting my device, what would I lose access to, and what not.
I've read somewhere that you lose DRM or something like that, is that meaning I will not be able to watch Netflix download and go, or Google Play Music, etc? what does it means?
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You will lose your warranty because you have to unlock your bootloader but if anything goes wrong you can always relock your bootloader and take your phone to a service center and claim your warranty they don't even check it in most cases other than that everything works fine
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

prajwal2001 said:
You will lose your warranty because you have to unlock your bootloader but if anything goes wrong you can always relock your bootloader and take your phone to a service center and claim your warranty they don't even check it in most cases other than that everything works fine
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk
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And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?

LionLorena said:
And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?
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Nothing else only warranty
Sent from my Moto G4 Plus using Tapatalk

LionLorena said:
And apart from that, do I lose anything else?
Some guy said I would lose access to that extra anti theft security from Google that works kinda like iCloud, is it true?
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Provided you're still on the stock ROM, I don't think rooting affects your anti-theft protection (I recall it's called Factory Reset Protection?). Even if you've enabled OEM unlocking in Developer Options, someone resetting your phone would still need your Google credentials to use the device. Also, if you're logged into your device at the time, you could still locate and wipe your phone via Android Device Manager.
Of course, with an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (as is generally required to root), someone could still flash a custom ROM and bypass those protections and, also, could in theory still access your data. (but only if they have physical access to your device)
As for DRM, I'm not sure but some apps have been/are now detecting the presence of root and will refuse to work (Snapchat, Pokemon Go, some banking apps come to mind) or for other devices, Android Pay and other security dependent features may not work. I recall magisk, a root manager, does have the ability to mask root from those apps, as well as pass SafetyNet, which is Google's security/anti-tamper detection. Your experience may vary. However, some apps require root access to function properly (e.g. kernel managers, battery monitors) just as to how they function, it's entirely up to you if you see yourself using those rooted apps on a regular enough basis. The root managers available (e.g. SuperSU, magisk) are supported and work well, just ensure you're using the latest versions, and if you're on stock Nougat, to flash a custom kernel prior to rooting (since the stock kernel won't permit modifications, if I recall).
Overall, in my view, you're trading security and warranty (as mentioned by prajwal2001) for convenience/flexibility by rooting - the flexibility alone to flash what you wish is what interested me in rooting my device, if anyone else has any other comments, feel free to add.

echo92 said:
Provided you're still on the stock ROM, rooting shouldn't disable your anti-theft protection (which I recall is Factory Reset Protection). Even if you've enabled OEM unlocking in Developer Options, someone resetting your phone would still need your Google credentials to use the device. Of course, with an unlocked bootloader and custom recovery (as is generally required to root), someone could still flash a custom ROM and bypass those protections and, also, could in theory still access your data. (but only if they have physical access to your device)
As for DRM, I'm not sure but some apps have been/are now detecting the presence of root and will refuse to work (Snapchat, Pokemon Go, some banking apps come to mind) or for other devices, Android Pay and other security dependent features may not work. I recall magisk, a root manager, does have the ability to mask root from those apps, as well as pass SafetyNet, which is Google's security/anti-tamper detection. Your experience may vary. However, some apps require root access to function properly (e.g. kernel managers, battery monitors) just as to how they function, it's entirely up to you if you see yourself using those rooted apps on a regular enough basis. The root managers available (e.g. SuperSU, magisk) are supported and work well, just ensure you're using the latest versions, and if you're on stock Nougat, to flash a custom kernel prior to rooting (since the stock kernel won't permit modifications, if I recall).
Overall, in my view, you're trading security and warranty (as mentioned by prajwal2001) for convenience/flexibility by rooting - the flexibility alone to flash what you wish is what interested me in rooting my device, if anyone else has any other comments, feel free to add.
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Hm I see.
That's a pretty big downside
I guess I will pass root for now, I was only wanting to do to use the ADB via USB OTG and boot disk creator.
Thanks everyone for all the information!

LionLorena said:
Hm I see.
That's a pretty big downside
I guess I will pass root for now, I was only wanting to do to use the ADB via USB OTG and boot disk creator.
Thanks everyone for all the information!
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That's fair enough - there's nothing stopping you from rooting your device, then performing what you need, before unrooting your device. (Just curious, does what you want to do require root, or are there other non-root methods?)
However, this will still involve you voiding your warranty (via unlocking your bootloader), and may also involve re-flashing your stock firmware to remove the custom recovery (and relock your bootloader, if you wish, though this won't recover your warranty, sadly). Honestly though, it's your device, up to you what you wish to do

echo92 said:
That's fair enough - there's nothing stopping you from rooting your device, then performing what you need, before unrooting your device. (Just curious, does what you want to do require root, or are there other non-root methods?)
However, this will still involve you voiding your warranty (via unlocking your bootloader), and may also involve re-flashing your stock firmware to remove the custom recovery (and relock your bootloader, if you wish, though this won't recover your warranty, sadly). Honestly though, it's your device, up to you what you wish to do
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Yeah the warranty is not on top of my mind right now, my concern are the other issues it may cause, such apps not working, and security issues.
Like, I had a Sony Xperia Play back some years and past a week I root it, and past 2 weeks it was on Cyanogenmod.
I had Bricked that device countless times and had somehow fixed, I had also replaced several internal components as well, but back then there were no DRM stuff and all, so the rooting part is not what I fear, is just this new wave of side effects regarding it.

LionLorena said:
Yeah the warranty is not on top of my mind right now, my concern are the other issues it may cause, such apps not working, and security issues.
Like, I had a Sony Xperia Play back some years and past a week I root it, and past 2 weeks it was on Cyanogenmod.
I had Bricked that device countless times and had somehow fixed, I had also replaced several internal components as well, but back then there were no DRM stuff and all, so the rooting part is not what I fear, is just this new wave of side effects regarding it.
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There is no DRM to lose on Motorola devices. On Sony devices, what you said is applicable. As for apps that refuse to work with root access, you can simply switch to Magisk, and enabled hiding root access from all apps.

zeomal said:
There is no DRM to lose on Motorola devices. On Sony devices, what you said is applicable. As for apps that refuse to work with root access, you can simply switch to Magisk, and enabled hiding root access from all apps.
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That's motivating.
And I've found a topic that says I don't even need to flash the custom recovery, I can simply hot boot it and do my stuff and keep the stock recovery.

LionLorena said:
That's motivating.
And I've found a topic that says I don't even need to flash the custom recovery, I can simply hot boot it and do my stuff and keep the stock recovery.
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There's no real point of not changing the stock recovery, unless you are planning to stick with a rooted stock ROM. If you keep the stock recovery, you'll be able to enable OTA stock updates.
From a security standpoint, if your device is lost, it becomes much easier for an attacker to breach your system and much harder for you to protect it. However, according to most security principles, once your device is lost from you, it's no longer your device, anyway.

zeomal said:
There's no real point of not changing the stock recovery, unless you are planning to stick with a rooted stock ROM. If you keep the stock recovery, you'll be able to enable OTA stock updates.
From a security standpoint, if your device is lost, it becomes much easier for an attacker to breach your system and much harder for you to protect it. However, according to most security principles, once your device is lost from you, it's no longer your device, anyway.
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The OTA updates are one of the reasons, yes.
And yes, from that point of view you are right.
I'm currently using some tracking solutions such as Cerberus, and disabling some features while the phone screen is locked, such as quick settings, and power off menu.
Also the extra layer of security imposed by Google version of iCloud, passes me some sense of safety.
The main thing that bothers me related to custom recovery is that the attacker can replace my software entirely.
While with stock I can have some time to recover the device using the tactics. Enabled.
And root could potentially aid me in that, I could add Cerberus to /system and etc.

You lose security. Every person with knowledge can access to your phone through TWRP, use the File Manager to erase files.key (this erases your gesture or PIN of lock screen) and can see all your info. If you unlock bootloader, every person can flash TWRP and do this steps.

alaindupus said:
You lose security. Every person with knowledge can access to your phone through TWRP, use the File Manager to erase files.key (this erases your gesture or PIN of lock screen) and can see all your info. If you unlock bootloader, every person can flash TWRP and do this steps.
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thats why i'm thinking 3 times before doing it.

Pros/Cons of Rooting Moto G5 Plus!?

I wish to root my phone(XT1686) but intend to keep the stock ROM(no bootloader unlock).
Is there any advantage in doing so? And will OTA updates be affected?

yourSAS said:
I wish to root my phone(XT1686) but intend to keep the stock ROM(no bootloader unlock).
Is there any advantage in doing so? And will OTA updates be affected?
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It is not possible to root without unlocking the bootloader on this device...
If you don't have a specific reason to root, don't do it.
And once rooted, you cannot accept any OTA... most likely case if you do it will just fail, worst possible case it bricks (which can happen but is extremely rare).

To answer the question in your title, about the advantages of rooting...
Rooting gives you near full access to your device, and thus the ability to customize it beyond the options provided to you via the default interface. Also, some apps provide additional features on rooted phones. For example, some security programs recommend rooting your device so that it can more forcefully integrate itself with the device to protect against malware, hacking, etc. I tend to install a security package that works better on a rooted device, as well as make use of features that tend to only work on a rooted device, such as folder mounting from the internal SD card to the external one. Also, allows me to access system files that are unavailable otherwise, allowing me to customize certain sounds (or copy them at least).
If you decide you want to root your device, make sure you understand the steps to take BEFORE trying it. That means when you come across a guide on how to do it, make sure you get all the files that will be required and reading through the instructions step by step. If any of the steps sound like it will leave you lost on what to do, then DO NOT do any of it. Also, make sure you read the comments for the guide as well, looking for any mention of issues encountered and consider if you might encounter those issues as well. For example, if it causes issues for devices that use a particular carrier and you use that same carrier, you might want to leave well enough alone. Compare your phone version numbers with what others report having issues with (kernel, baseband, build, etc). Anything that someone has an issue with where their phone somehow matches up with yours in some way, take that as a sign to investigate deeper, so as to avoid having any issues yourself.
For the most part, unless you have a need or desire for a feature/function that requires rooting your device, don't mess with it. I'm not kidding, as one mistake can leave you without a working phone and without any options for returning/replacing it.

Thanks for the replies & warnings.
I'm not a noob so I know the risks of rooting. So maybe I should have rephrased it-
What are the advantages of rooting Moto G5 plus specifically?
Say like in terms of mods and other stuff? Also, is it possible to unroot once rooted- I mean to ask if it's possible to revert the state to factory mode with bootloader locked and stock ROM so that device will be eligible for OTA updates again?

yourSAS said:
Thanks for the replies & warnings.
I'm not a noob so I know the risks of rooting. So maybe I should have rephrased it-
What are the advantages of rooting Moto G5 plus specifically?
Say like in terms of mods and other stuff? Also, is it possible to unroot once rooted- I mean to ask if it's possible to revert the state to factory mode with bootloader locked and stock ROM so that device will be eligible for OTA updates again?
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Click to collapse
Bootloader lock is not relevant to OTA's. You might be able to relock, but the fact it was once unlocked cannot be hidden, it will always be very clear that it was unlocked.
Unrooting is easy, the issue arises undoing what you did with root, undoing them all depends what you changed.
I don't know of any reasons specific to this device to root.

acejavelin said:
Bootloader lock is not relevant to OTA's. You might be able to relock, but the fact it was once unlocked cannot be hidden, it will always be very clear that it was unlocked.
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If the OEM knows I've unlocked bootloader, why will it push OTAs to my phone even though I've locked bootloader on my end? So isn't bootloader lock status relevant for OTA?

yourSAS said:
If the OEM knows I've unlocked bootloader, why will it push OTAs to my phone even though I've locked bootloader on my end? So isn't bootloader lock status relevant for OTA?
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No, the status of your bootloader is not relevant... Moto will notify you of an available update and happily attempt to apply it regardless if your bootloader is locked or not.
What matters is if the boot or system partitions is changed, if there is ANY change to those, among other things like if the radio version or recovery versions don't match or the partition table is changed, the update will fail. If you flash any custom recovery it will fail as well.

On this subject I mention a slight con which is that some banking or financial apps might complain to you if they detect root. I have maybe 10 different bank and credit apps installed and all work flawlessly except 1. The Huntington Bank app wont allow me to use fingerprint login but otherwise the app is fully functional like mobile deposits. Just wanted to mention to be aware.