[Q] Which new Verizon phones have unlocked bootloaders? - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hey, I need to make up my mind this weekend on which phone I will be getting from Verizon. Can you name any phones that you know of that have a up-to-date root method and maybe even unlocked bootloaders (as of now)? Thanks!!!

I was wondering the same thing. It doesn't seem there are any new phones that have official methods of unlocking the bootloader. They are all exploits. My last phone that had an exploit was my S3, but since I have the protection plan it kept getting replaced with refubs. Last one had 4.4.2 installed and there is currently no exploit. I want to get a new phone to replace it so I can use custom roms, but don't want to go through the problem again.
Anyways, good luck.

Only way that is happening is if you order a Developer Edition model. They haven't been cool with unlocking their bootloaders for ages now.

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[Q] AT&T HTC One M8: How to flash back to stock

I recently unlocked my bootloader and rooted my phone. I installed TWRP and flashed a couple of custom roms ( GPE & Revolution HD ) I decided i want to go back to stock. I understand so far i gotta unroot, flash stock rom and re lock bootloader. I read something about RUU files. Any one have suggestion or help how i go about this? Again, i have AT&T varient, currently on Revolution HD Rom
Famous22 said:
I recently unlocked my bootloader and rooted my phone. I installed TWRP and flashed a couple of custom roms ( GPE & Revolution HD ) I decided i want to go back to stock. I understand so far i gotta unroot, flash stock rom and re lock bootloader. I read something about RUU files. Any one have suggestion or help how i go about this? Again, i have AT&T varient, currently on Revolution HD Rom
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is currently no RUU available as of right now. I think the best you can do for now is to a TWRP restore. There is a stock rooted TWRP in the Android Dev forum. Although this won't un-root you, its closest to stock that you will get. For the future, always make a backup before you root and then you won't have to worry
TheEmpyre said:
There is currently no RUU available as of right now. I think the best you can do for now is to a TWRP restore. There is a stock rooted TWRP in the Android Dev forum. Although this won't un-root you, its closest to stock that you will get. For the future, always make a backup before you root and then you won't have to worry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just ordered my device and still waiting on it to be delivered. I'm already debating on whether or not to root as I've never owned an android phone that i didn't root. From what i understand, the bootloader needs to be unlocked, then s-off, flash recovery and then root. Now, if i'm to do a nandroid of the stock ROM before I root, will I be able to lock the bootloader again, nandroid and s-on in case I need to utilize the warranty? Also, will any warranty bits show up or a tampered flag or any other problem arise that'll indicate it's been farked with? Is there a way to undo those flags? Thanks in advance to TheEmpyre or whomever else can shed some light on this.
EDIT: If the s-off is the only step that will trip the flag, is it possible to leave S, er, ON?
brianray14 said:
I just ordered my device and still waiting on it to be delivered. I'm already debating on whether or not to root as I've never owned an android phone that i didn't root. From what i understand, the bootloader needs to be unlocked, then s-off, flash recovery and then root. Now, if i'm to do a nandroid of the stock ROM before I root, will I be able to lock the bootloader again, nandroid and s-on in case I need to utilize the warranty? Also, will any warranty bits show up or a tampered flag or any other problem arise that'll indicate it's been farked with? Is there a way to undo those flags? Thanks in advance to TheEmpyre or whomever else can shed some light on this.
EDIT: If the s-off is the only step that will trip the flag, is it possible to leave S, er, ON?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unlocking the bootloader trips a flag. When you relock it gets rid of one flag but trips the relocked flag. Soff can get rid of all flags but you have to leave it soff. Turning it back on throws a security flag.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
If you are current AT&T customer, and can go through them for warranty, they do not care in the least whether you are bootloader unlocked, rooted, s-off, etc.
I know AT&T written policy says otherwise (they have the right refuse warranty on modded phones) but in reality they cherish you paying that nice monthly bill every month over the modest cost of a refurb phone.
I've come over from the One X (EVITA) forum, and there were many (possibly dozens) of report from XDA users successfully returning their devices for warranty with bootloader RELOCKED, UNLOCKED, and in some cases even with custom ROMs installed! And I haven't seen any reports otherwise (AT&T denying warranty due to modded phone).
If you are not a current AT&T customer, and have to go through HTC, that is a different story.
But if you are an AT&T customer, my personal opinion is that you do not need to care about being able to return to stock, tripping flags, etc. Just mod away.
redpoint73 said:
If you are current AT&T customer, and can go through them for warranty, they do not care in the least whether you are bootloader unlocked, rooted, s-off, etc.
I know AT&T written policy says otherwise (they have the right refuse warranty on modded phones) but in reality they cherish you paying that nice monthly bill every month over the modest cost of a refurb phone.
I've come over from the One X (EVITA) forum, and there were many (possibly dozens) of report from XDA users successfully returning their devices for warranty with bootloader RELOCKED, UNLOCKED, and in some cases even with custom ROMs installed! And I haven't seen any reports otherwise (AT&T denying warranty due to modded phone).
If you are not a current AT&T customer, and have to go through HTC, that is a different story.
But if you are an AT&T customer, my personal opinion is that you do not need to care about being able to return to stock, tripping flags, etc. Just mod away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can second this. I just had to replace my m8 because the speakers were crackling like crazy, my bootloader showed relocked and they told me straight up that they didn't care about that as long as it was a hardware problem and not a software problem and replaced it on the spot.
I was under the impression that if you were in your first year of owning the device that faulty hardware would be covered under HTC's factory warranty and not AT&T?
brianray14 said:
I was under the impression that if you were in your first year of owning the device that faulty hardware would be covered under HTC's factory warranty and not AT&T?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking at the return info, I can see where the confusion might come from. It says "Return directly to manufacturer" for 15 days or more:
http://www.att.com/shop/wireless/returnpolicy.html#fbid=KMGdewZyG_f
But AFAIK, all warranty returns go to AT&T when you work through their warranty department. You send them your defective phone, and they send you a refurb. I haven't had to go through this process myself, but this is what has been reported many times on XDA and other forums.
Any update on this how to lock bootloader for HTC M8 AT&T with 4.4.3 InsertCoin 4.1.1 Rom S-On of course.
How do I lock the bootloader in order to upgrade to stock 4.4.4?
im2c0ol said:
Any update on this how to lock bootloader for HTC M8 AT&T with 4.4.3 InsertCoin 4.1.1 Rom S-On of course.
How do I lock the bootloader in order to upgrade to stock 4.4.4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No "update" on this issue is required. The process has been the same for a couple years or more. Further, you've posted the same/similar question to multiple places, and its been answered already in multiple places.
Connect phone to computer in fastboot mode.
Open command prompt, and type: fastboot OEM lock
From there, you can run the RUU.

[Q] Going to upgrade from an S4 to the M8, and I'd like to know

if HTC allows downgrading the bootloader so I can install a custom rom after I make the mistake of taking an OTA update from ATT. With the S4 this wasn't possible. but since this is my first android phone, I was wondering if it was Samsung trying to keep the device "secure" or ATT forcing these companies to keep their bootloaders locked.
some_douchebag said:
if HTC allows downgrading the bootloader so I can install a custom rom after I make the mistake of taking an OTA update from ATT. With the S4 this wasn't possible. but since this is my first android phone, I was wondering if it was Samsung trying to keep the device "secure" or ATT forcing these companies to keep their bootloaders locked.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once you unlock the boot loader no update can relock it. HTC offers a lot more freedom than samsung, but at the price of no warranty. So if you unlock it and shatter your screen, don't be upset like other people when htc will not warranty it. As long as you have a custom recovery, your phone cannot even physically take an ota update so nothing to worry about either way.
The Magnuson–Moss Warranty Act is in place for us consumers for this reason. The company has to prove that any modification you did, is the cause of the trouble. So if you unlock your bootloader, root, etc, then crack your screen, as the poster above mentioned, the company can not void your warranty since what you did has nothing to do with cracking your screen.
This was huge for me when I modified my car and I found this here on XDA after doing more searching
http://www.xda-developers.com/xda-tv-2/your-warranty-is-not-void-xda-tv/
Oh and yeah,,if you are outside the US, it wont work lol
some_douchebag said:
if HTC allows downgrading the bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That depends on what you mean by "allow". You cannot downgrade the bootloader by any "official" means. You will fail version check when you try to install, as you can "normally" only flash a equal or great version number hboot.
But if you are s-off, version check is bypassed, and any hboot version can be flashed.
Similar to a previous response, my advice would be to unlock the bootloader (required if you want to flash custom ROMs anyway) and S-off the phone soon after you get it. Neither of those can be changed by any OTA.
Also, accepting OTA is not recommended on a modded phone, anyway. Whatever came in the update will usually get posted in a stock rooted form in the Development forum, and/or incorporated into custom ROMs, often within days of the OTA rolling out. And OTA will not install on a modded phone (stock recovery needs to be present). OTAs also may plug existing s-off or other exploit; preventing you from doing them if you haven't already (but as mentioned, can't make the phone s-on again). Moral of the story, I strongly recommend against OTA on any modded phone.
Some of these terms/concepts are HTC specific, so may be a bit confusing for you. I would suggest reading up on these forums, if you aren't familiar with s-off, HTC's bootloader unlock process, etc.

[Q] I can't find the stupid question link on this section

Got a stupid question and can't find the stupid question section on this forum for the M8 as in the M7 section. But, I have a new phone which I have upgraded to . I am not new to the rooting and switching roms I have done it since the One X, but , can I flash a custom recovery without unlocking the bootloader? Reason is , I use a app called Privacy Star for call blocking and just discovered by means of me having two identical phones except for the color . One has all the OTA's up to Android version 5.0.2 HTC Sense 6.0 the other is straight ouf the box and no updates, software Android 4.4.2 Sense 6.0. The app seems to work fine with 4.4.2 but the app makes the phone ringer silent after a blocked call and it has to be put in recovery and recovered or reboot the phone to get the ringer back. I know that flashing a custom recovery removes the ability to take OTA's and want to keep the phones at 4.4.2 , at least for a day or two. So can I flash a custom recovery such as TWRP without rooting? and RUU the one phone with the updates back to 4.4.2? Make sense? I hope so.
leesumm said:
Got a stupid question and can't find the stupid question section on this forum for the M8 as in the M7 section.
can I flash a custom recovery without unlocking the bootloader? I know that flashing a custom recovery removes the ability to take OTA's and want to keep the phones at 4.4.2 , at least for a day or two. So can I flash a custom recovery such as TWRP without rooting?
and RUU the one phone with the updates back to 4.4.2? Make sense?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think someone did a "stupid question" thread for this section at one point, long ago. But nobody really used it, it didn't get stickied, and quickly became buried among the other threads.
No, you can't install custom recovery without unlocking the bootloader. But you can restore to stock recovery when/if you want to install an OTA.
You can RUU back to 4.4.2 if you use sunshine ($25) to s-off the phone; which removes the version check, and allows you to "downgrade".
redpoint73 said:
I think someone did a "stupid question" thread for this section at one point, long ago. But nobody really used it, it didn't get stickied, and quickly became buried among the other threads.
No, you can't install custom recovery without unlocking the bootloader. But you can restore to stock recovery when/if you want to install an OTA.
You can RUU back to 4.4.2 if you use sunshine ($25) to s-off the phone; which removes the version check, and allows you to "downgrade".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, wasn't sure and its been a long time since I have messed with a stock phone . I really didn't want to void the warranty just yet as the phone isn't much over 24 old so far and wanted to let it "settle" in before doing any mods on it.
leesumm said:
Thanks, wasn't sure and its been a long time since I have messed with a stock phone . I really didn't want to void the warranty just yet as the phone isn't much over 24 old so far and wanted to let it "settle" in before doing any mods on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want, since the phone has older software (4.4.2) you should be able to temp root and s-off with sunshine ($25) which can also unlock the bootloader without using HTCDev.com. And HTC will therefore not have a record of you unlocking the bootloader. And with s-off, all can be returned to full stock (LOCKED bootloader, s-on, etc.) so HTC would never be any the wiser.
But also note that if you purchased the phone through AT&T, modifying the phone by unlocking the bootloader (root, etc.) does not actually void your warranty. AT&T actually changed their warranty terms a year or 2 ago. The only thing that voids the warranty are physical damage and water damage. There have been numerous reports of folks that successfully got warranty service from AT&T with unlocked bootloaders. But that is just through AT&T. HTC is a whole other story.
redpoint73 said:
If you want, since the phone has older software (4.4.2) you should be able to temp root and s-off with sunshine ($25) which can also unlock the bootloader without using HTCDev.com. And HTC will therefore not have a record of you unlocking the bootloader. And with s-off, all can be returned to full stock (LOCKED bootloader, s-on, etc.) so HTC would never be any the wiser.
But also note that if you purchased the phone through AT&T, modifying the phone by unlocking the bootloader (root, etc.) does not actually void your warranty. AT&T actually changed their warranty terms a year or 2 ago. The only thing that voids the warranty are physical damage and water damage. There have been numerous reports of folks that successfully got warranty service from AT&T with unlocked bootloaders. But that is just through AT&T. HTC is a whole other story.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One phone has 4.4.2 software and the other has 5.0.2 software, I didn't catch the newest one soon enough and my wife did the OTA without me knowing it. The only reason I wanted the older software was the fact the app I like has a glitch in it with the newer software update and it silences the ringer . The app works fine on the phone with the 4.4.2 software I just wanted to make sure it didn't update itself

Network-unlocking a flashed & rooted HTC M7 from AT&T

I'm trying to unlock my HTC One from the AT&T network. I'm currently waiting for them to get back to me with my unlock request. Shouldn't be a problem, I hope.
I'm S-On, and running Dirty Unicorns on my phone. From reading around, I've seen that the unlock code will only work if I'm "stock." However, I have no idea how "stock" I have to be. I've been reading around to find a stock ROM I can flash but everything I see is in the context of going 100% back to stock, flashing RUUs, etc. I currently don't have a USB cable to connect it to my computer so this might prove difficult.
Question: What do I NEED to do to my phone to ensure that I can network unlock it when I have the code from AT&T? (stock rom, stock bootloader, etc)
Bonus questions:
Can I unlock the phone without physically inserting a new SIM? (my friend isn't going to buy one until she gets to China and I don't want to buy one just for this purpose)
AT&T is acting sort of sketchy. If they fail to get me an unlock code in time, can I hack one together or are the services noted in this thread my best bet? http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2242473

Question Verizon bootloader unlock

How would unlock my bootloader with ONLY root? My Verizon Pixel 6 is temporarily rooted via the dirty pipe exploit. There is no way to unlock my bootloader (officially), and was wondering if it's possible to use my temp root to allow oem unlocking? (currently grayed out)
Lol these threads are the cancer of pixel forums
I'm new to XDA, is there a better place to put this?
anthonyguseman said:
I'm new to XDA, is there a better place to put this?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's fine here. There are a bunch of threads regarding bl unlock with a Verizon branded device going all the way back to the P3. But I am curious too since temp root was always something that was thought to be the key to unlocking the OEM switch and unlocking. But I don't think it will work from the few posts I've seen. I'm not sure but I think you can get the switch to show active but it doesn't change the function of it or allow it to bl unlock in fastboot. Perhaps I missed the discussion and maybe I should search for it, right? lol I don't have much interest since I will never buy a Verizon device that can't be unlocked but I still am curious.
I see that you cross posted your request to this thread. We should continue it here... and close this thread. No point now.
Verizon Pixel 6 Pro Bootloader Unlock?
Its been a very long time since i have done any of this stuff. I bought the verizon version and cannot get bootloader unlocked. I have searched and see there has been the same problem in the past models. Is there a bypass or workaround? I can...
forum.xda-developers.com
Temp rooot is usually the first step to bootloader unlocking from how I remember it.
However, an exploit or app or something else will still be needed to unlock the bootloader.
A good example would be Sunshine exploit for HTC/Verizon HTC devices. Verizon was always much more difficult because HTC allowed for bootloader unlocking, but Sunshine took it further with a full unlock with "S-OFF" which stands for Security Off (the phone comes S-ON).
So since Verizon made HTC block us from unlocking bootloader/root. Getting temp-root was essential to the unlock/S-OFF.
Google Boss Confirms HTC Built The Pixel 3a
And presumably the Pixel 4 as well. Many thought that it was the HTC team that Google acquired a few years ago, that built the Pixel 3a. Now, Made by
www.androidheadlines.com
deleted
anthonyguseman said:
How would unlock my bootloader with ONLY root? My Verizon Pixel 6 is temporarily rooted via the dirty pipe exploit. There is no way to unlock my bootloader (officially), and was wondering if it's possible to use my temp root to allow oem unlocking? (currently grayed out)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried your Luck?
georgesurgeon said:
Have you tried your Luck?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Given the OP's post is nearly a year old and they have never replied, it's a pretty good bet he wasn't able to unlock his bootloader. Now, I'm sorry if in your original thread wherein you asked about this for your device you didn't like the answer you were given, but the fact remains that the Pixel 6 / 6 Pro devices on Verizon are very tightly locked down.
Verizon devices are always going to be locked down than my ability to get a partner unless by an exploit.

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