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Questions tagged [bootloader-lock]

Some bootloaders are locked by the manufactures to prevent the phones from booting unofficial firmware images.

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Is there a way to root an Android phone without unlocking the bootloader?

I've tried almost any method to root my ASUS ZenFone Live, but no one seems to work. Also I only need root, no unlocked bootloader (don't want to wipe data) or custom recovery (not essential ATM).
K-FLOW's user avatar
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3 votes
1 answer
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Can we consider Huawei phones as unrootable?

Huawei unlocking happened until 2018/05 by getting an unlock code on the manufacturer's website page1 and giving it as an argument to a fastboot oem unlock. In 05/2018, Huawei simply stopped this ...
peterh's user avatar
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52 votes
2 answers
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Why does unlocking the bootloader wipe phone?

I understand that unlocking the bootloader will wipe my Android phone, but have been looking around for why. Seems to be by design, but what is the reasoning for that design? Is it some security ...
CatShoes's user avatar
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8 votes
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fastboot not working on my Nexus 4

I'm trying to root my N4, and fastboot doesn't seem to work. Running it on linux, and the fastboot binary seems to run. 'Fastboot devices' produces info on my device, but 'fastboot oem unlock' just ...
littlenoodles's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
524 views

FBE encryption bootloader state in keys

I want to unlock bootloader on Android 8.0 FBE encrypted with PIN I don't wanna lose my data, therefore i made backup of userdata partition before According to CCC the bootloader state is part of ...
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7 votes
1 answer
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Bootloader wont unlock on Google Pixel 2 (G011A)

I'm trying to root my Google Pixel 2 but I can't get the bootloader unlocked. The phone is a renewed and unlocked international version, model number G011A. From the bootloader screen, and connected ...
ak_'s user avatar
  • 71
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

How is bootloader state protected against physical tampering in Google Pixel

A week ago my professor's Pixel 4 XL was stolen from his desk when he left it there for charging. The phone has been shut down. It had few minutes of battery left when it was plugged in charging. ...
defalt's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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How to delete some files on unbootable phone with low memory?

I had been ignoring low memory on my android phone (Nexus 6P running copperhead OS) for some time. OS suddenly crashed out of no where and started booting up infinitely. After forcing it to restart ...
Amit's user avatar
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34 votes
1 answer
35k views

What's the security implication of having an unlocked boot loader?

Nexus devices can be unlocked using the fastboot command fastboot oem unlock to install a custom firmware. For security reasons, the phone is wiped when this command is executed. However after this is ...
ce4's user avatar
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8 votes
2 answers
21k views

Nexus 7 Error: Failed to mount /cache

I had a problem with my Nexus 7 (2013, 2nd gen) tablet. I restarted my tablet and when it was rebooting again, it showed "Google" logo and then stood there. I wait it (around 20 minutes) but it did ...
Israel's user avatar
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6 votes
1 answer
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what is a bootloader unlocked phone?

What is a bootloader unlocked phone? How we can make use of it while creating or flashing ROMs? What are advantages of unlocked bootloaders over locked bootloaders? Why does not any OEM generally ...
Akshay Kulkarni's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
452 views

What are the various ways an Android phone can be locked?

I ask this question because the confusing terminology of different types of "locked" and "unlocked" like rooted and not rooted, Sim-locking, FRP locks, lock screens, ADB active ...
Emmanuel Lopez's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
5k views

What is the difference between fastboot oem unlock and fastboot oem unlock-go?

I'm having issues unlocking my Nexus 7 2013 WiFi's bootloader, and it was suggested that I try fastboot oem unlock-go instead of fastboot oem unlock. Both seem to act the same on my device, however ...
Newbyte's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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Does OEM unlock wipe data?

I am using samsung galaxy j7, in the developer options there is a option "OEM Unlock" if I turn it on will it wipe my data? Also does samsung locks bootloaders? My device is not tied to any carrier.
Ron12's user avatar
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0 answers
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Is there any way to recover from an over-written android system recovery, or what else might cause a Pixel XL not to enter fastboot from recovery?

This is an attempt to sideload an update to a Google Pixel XL stuck in a boot loop. Following this answer from the official Google forums, I tried this procedure as linked in the chosen answer. ...
user3.1415927's user avatar
24 votes
4 answers
118k views

What does "fastboot oem lock" do?

I've had my phone for months, loading with several firmware, ROMs and OTAs, without ever running this command. What does it do? What I know is that "fastboot oem unlock" displays the confirmation ...
William C's user avatar
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18 votes
4 answers
204k views

How to re-lock Android bootloader?

I've unlocked my Nexus 5 by using CF-Auto-Root. I want to undo my actions and return the device to its original state: unrooted and locked. How can I do this?
Kebin Liu's user avatar
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8 votes
3 answers
38k views

unlocked device vs. unlocked bootloader

I've always thought that if a device is unlocked it means that it works with different carriers. If the device bootloader is unlocked, then does this mean the device will automatically work with ...
user2239505's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

Why does unlocking bootloader affect camera quality on some devices?

Sony announced it officially that unlocking bootloader, since it will remove DRM keys, might affect camera quality. For high-end devices running recent software versions, for instance Xperia Z3, ...
SarpSTA's user avatar
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5 votes
1 answer
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Problem with unlocking the HTC Wildfire bootloader with HTC unlocker

I tried to unlock HTC bootloader by the official tool but I get to the stage when I issue the command: fastboot oem get_identifier_token Unfortunatly I get error ... (bootloader) [ERR] Command ...
Maja Piechotka's user avatar
5 votes
2 answers
7k views

How to re-unlock bootloader for OnePlus One

I have OnePlus One with CyanogenMod 12 from factory and I decided to update to CM 13 (nightly build). To achieve this I did the following from OSX: Unlock the bootloader (fastboot oem unlock) Boot ...
codentary's user avatar
  • 171
3 votes
1 answer
2k views

What is the point of a locked bootloader if a deep flash cable can bypass it?

I was reading about how important is locked bootloaders for users security after Xiaomi decided to lock some bootloaders of its phones. 1 However, I found that there is a specially engineered cable ...
Ghasan's user avatar
  • 133
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Oppo find 7: bootloader re-lock impossible?

I tried to relock the bootloader on my Find 7 (which I'm pretty sure was unlocked since I installed a custom rom). fastboot oem lock ... After that nothing. Windows console is "stuck". Any clue?
dragonmnl's user avatar
  • 191
2 votes
2 answers
2k views

Unlocking bootloader for Vivo Y12

I have enabled OEM unlock and USB debug from settings. I am using Vivo fastboot tool. And after entering the fastboot menu, I tried the code fastboot bbk unlock_vivo. C:\Users\dell\Desktop\...
Bickey Jaiswal's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
5k views

Device says bootloader unlocked but OEM unlock option can enabled and disabled?

I have a Redmi Note 3 (INDIAN VARIANT Kenzo/Snapdragon variant running on Marshmellow 6.0.1 with MIUI Global 10.2) on which I performed an bootloader unlocking procedure via the tool XiaoMiTool V2 ...
Vishnu Ezhuthachan's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
2k views

Google Pixel 2: Is it possible to verify that it cannot be OEM unlocked and why?

Background Apparently, I have bought yet another brand new phone that is absolutely useless and has a value of zero. It is a Google Pixel 2. I would like to OEM unlock it. This option is greyed out in ...
0range's user avatar
  • 151
2 votes
1 answer
14k views

Is it necessary to have an unlocked bootloader to root a device? [duplicate]

My LG Stylo 2 Sprint Version running on Android 7 Nougat has a locked bootloader. LG made sure that the bootloader can't be unlocked. This article states that it's possible to root with a locked ...
user159665's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
4k views

Unlock bootloader or flash TWRP with EDL on Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (kenzo)

I have a Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Pro (kenzo) phone with a locked bootloader. Earlier, I unlocked this, but I do this with an easy switcher tumbler "OEM-unlock", so I flashed TWRP, custom ROMs, ...
mark0392's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
2k views

How do I root a Samsung Galaxy S4 SGH-I337?

I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 SGH-I337 with a I337UCUAMF3 baseband. How do I either root it and unlock the bootloader or install a mod? Alternately, can I change it back to a previous baseband and unlock ...
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