Develop Bugs

Officially announced - Locked Bootloader

Friends, sadly the optimus G will have a locked bootloader
http://www.androidcentral.com/official-word-optimus-g-bootloader

And, therefore I won't be buying it. Oh well, I'll wait for a company that wants to play nice.
I'm in no hurry.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

JasonJoel said:
And, therefore I won't be buying it. Oh well, I'll wait for a company that wants to play nice.
I'm in no hurry.
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good luck if you're on at&t.
Pretty sure you just have to go straight for an off contract phone.
I hate supporting phones that don't come with unlocked bootloaders by default but, I don't h ave 500$+ to spend.. Especially when I'll be paying the same price for my cellular service either way.

Well I guess we'll just have to wait for the Google announcement on the 29th to see when the Nexus 4comes out huh. After watching the PocketNow review of this phone I was considering it but with a locked bootloader no way.
sent from my Dark Nexus

i know what you feel bro
nyanyanyanyanyanyanyanyanyanyanyan

Snow_fox said:
Good luck if you're on at&t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not really... Samsung phones (like the S3) have unlockable boot loader on at&t. As does the HTC One X I'm using (although HTC screwed that up in later releases).
Will probably just go with the Note 2 if it has an unlockable bootloader (which it should).
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

Can someone please explain something. I'm obviously not up on this due to the noob question, but just yesterday there was news that the device is in fact root-able. I assume this is totally different than a locked bootloader? Can the boot loader still be locked, yet rooted? Once rooted, is the device's bootloader unlocked at that time? thanks, guys

Yes u can root even with a locked boot loader. You.just can't flash.custom kernels. Although I.don't know if kexec will work or not. I think the guys that.get the Sprint version will be ok with an unlockable boot loader. I am sure that there is someone with an unlocked boot loader floating around. Kinda like the Verizon s3 got a leak of an unsecured boot loader which let us unlock it Just have to wait.and see what.pops up.
Sent from my SCH-I535 using xda premium

First... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Well, I was somewhat expecting this. Oh well. I will sit back and see what happens. Many locked phones have fallen to the powers of the Android community. (I forget what the Korean thread says, but I thought they had cracked their version already.) Only time will tell. I hope it's quick though.
gatorstew said:
Can someone please explain something. I'm obviously not up on this due to the noob question, but just yesterday there was news that the device is in fact root-able. I assume this is totally different than a locked bootloader? Can the boot loader still be locked, yet rooted? Once rooted, is the device's bootloader unlocked at that time? thanks, guys
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is this post to give you a little start on the lingo. A google search ought to give you a good explanation quickly.
In short though, to answer your questions from a not-quite-so-noob, "rooting" a device gains you access to the software running on the system. Don't like the bloatware that came on the phone? With root access, you can delete them. You can have root without an unlocked bootloader. (Warranty likely voided.)
The bootloader is the first bit of software that the phone runs when the power is turned on, which loads the OS and such, and passes off control to the OS to boot up.With a locked bootloader, you are basically stuck with the updates (if any) blessed by the manufacturer AND the carrier. Unlocked, you can install customized ROMs, swap kernels, custom recoveries (search "nandroid backup"), and even more warranty voiding goodness. YOU decide "how" your phone works.
Now... If your phone DOES break, both acts can be reversed (some exceptions) so you can pretend you didn't do anything you weren't supposed to be doing, and have your "warranty."

JasonJoel said:
Not really... Samsung phones (like the S3) have unlockable boot loader on at&t. As does the HTC One X I'm using (although HTC screwed that up in later releases).
Will probably just go with the Note 2 if it has an unlockable bootloader (which it should).
Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but, with HTC you are only marginally better off as they provide incredibly small kernel support. My HTC flyer has an officially unlocked bootloader and Dexter has been working on a JB Rom forever and it's still not in a "Factory release" state like other devices.
I don't blame Dexter but, it's pretty sad. Heck, in the One X+ forum there was announcement by a dev openly stated we should be aware it will be hard to dev for before we even consider it.
As far as Samsung goes, I applaud them for supporting the dev community the way they have in the various ways but, their SAMOLED screens are a bit..well dated looking. When they first came out, they were nice because they were brighter, more vibrant, and colorful. Now I really would love to hop on the IPS displays which are sharper.

I was right. Damn you LG! DAMN YOUUUUU!
Guess, I'm sticking with my O4X HD. With the same locked bootloader FTL

Would it be more productive to petition lg or start a bounty.... Or does the locked bootloaders even really matter? My understanding is without kernel sources an email unlocked bootloader isn't only marginally useful.
Sent from my HTC_Flyer_P512_NA using xda app-developers app.

Snow_fox said:
Would it be more productive to petition lg or start a bounty.... Or does the locked bootloaders even really matter? My understanding is without kernel sources an email unlocked bootloader isn't only marginally useful.
Sent from my HTC_Flyer_P512_NA using xda app-developers app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already have one going on: http://www.change.org/petitions/lg-...opportunity-to-unlock-bootloader-in-lg-phones
So please guys, sign the petition and who knows...somewhere down the road maybe they'll listen and grant our wishes. :crying:
We're already up to 1000+ that already signed...lets get this rolling and share it to every other forum you go to. Thanks in advanced.

How often do petitions actually work?
Sent from my HTC_Flyer_P512_NA using xda app-developers app

Snow_fox said:
How often do petitions actually work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Imagine if <10,000 people signed a petition saying that they wanted McDonald's to stop selling meat products. Yeah, LG probably cares about as much as McDonald's would in that scenario.

Scotty_Two said:
Imagine if <10,000 people signed a petition saying that they wanted McDonald's to stop selling meat products. Yeah, LG probably cares about as much as McDonald's would in that scenario.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I respectfully disagree. LG is not anywhere near HTC, Apple, or Samsung in terms of volume sold. They need all the help they can get and simply cannot afford to lose potential customers. Even HTC and Samsung have been affected by petitions like this. It led HTC to have unlockable bootloaders. Also, in your McDonald's analogy, McDonald's would be losing many customers if they no longer had burgers or other meat products, whereas LG would be gaining customers if they decided to open up a bit. And the community here at XDA (most of whom I would assume are against locked bootloaders) is for the most part, fairly knowledgeable about phones and mobile devices. As we are knowledgeable on the subject, people go to us for advice on their next devices. If LG's bootloaders were unlocked, I can assure you that I (like many other XDA users) would not only purchase the Optimus G for myself, but I would also be much more likely to recommend it. There's ~5 Million members here, of which I would imagine 1-1.5 Million are in the market for a new device. As it offers the best specifications on the market at the moment, I would assume the Optimus G would have to be a thought to most of these people. However, the lack of SD Card support (on the International and Sprint versions), nonremovable battery, and locked bootloaders can potentially deter many of these people from buying it and/or recommending it to their friends, families, and acquaintances and instead, these people could easily opt for roughly equivalent devices made by LG's competitors, such as the One series by HTC and the Galaxy series by Samsung. It never makes business sense to turn away thousands of potential customers, especially when said company is not leading sales figures in the industry.

xboxfanj said:
I respectfully disagree. LG is not anywhere near HTC, Apple, or Samsung in terms of volume sold. They need all the help they can get and simply cannot afford to lose potential customers. Even HTC and Samsung have been affected by petitions like this. It led HTC to have unlockable bootloaders. Also, in your McDonald's analogy, McDonald's would be losing many customers if they no longer had burgers or other meat products, whereas LG would be gaining customers if they decided to open up a bit. And the community here at XDA (most of whom I would assume are against locked bootloaders) is for the most part, fairly knowledgeable about phones and mobile devices. As we are knowledgeable on the subject, people go to us for advice on their next devices. If LG's bootloaders were unlocked, I can assure you that I (like many other XDA users) would not only purchase the Optimus G for myself, but I would also be much more likely to recommend it. There's ~5 Million members here, of which I would imagine 1-1.5 Million are in the market for a new device. As it offers the best specifications on the market at the moment, I would assume the Optimus G would have to be a thought to most of these people. However, the lack of SD Card support (on the International and Sprint versions), nonremovable battery, and locked bootloaders can potentially deter many of these people from buying it and/or recommending it to their friends, families, and acquaintances and instead, these people could easily opt for roughly equivalent devices made by LG's competitors, such as the One series by HTC and the Galaxy series by Samsung. It never makes business sense to turn away thousands of potential customers, especially when said company is not leading sales figures in the industry.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mostly agree with your points. I do, however, think that the whole purpose of OEMs locking their bootloaders is to deter people from prolonging the life of their phone and not to protect people from bricking them. Because let's face it, 99.9% of people that even know what a bootloader is in the first place will probably be able to flash their phone without bricking it and exchanging it for a new one at the OEMs expense. So, with that in mind, it only seems logical that an OEM would lock the bootloader to prevent people from taking things into their own hands with such a powerhouse phone that could last for years with proper software updates (that will undoubtedly not happen in a timely manner from LG for more than the first year, if that). They want people to like the phone, be at the mercy of LG for updates, and when those updates end, buy a new LG phone and repeat. So with this standard model, I just don't see how they could care about the very small (in comparison to the general public) development community. Just my thoughts though, I really have no idea what LG's strategy is or what will end up happening.

Scotty_Two said:
I mostly agree with your points. I do, however, think that the whole purpose of OEMs locking their bootloaders is to deter people from prolonging the life of their phone and not to protect people from bricking them. Because let's face it, 99.9% of people that even know what a bootloader is in the first place will probably be able to flash their phone without bricking it and exchanging it for a new one at the OEMs expense. So, with that in mind, it only seems logical that an OEM would lock the bootloader to prevent people from taking things into their own hands with such a powerhouse phone that could last for years with proper software updates (that will undoubtedly not happen in a timely manner from LG for more than the first year, if that). They want people to like the phone, be at the mercy of LG for updates, and when those updates end, buy a new LG phone and repeat. So with this standard model, I just don't see how they could care about the very small (in comparison to the general public) development community. Just my thoughts though, I really have no idea what LG's strategy is or what will end up happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know.. I think the bold part is also problematic. While it is a great "theoretical" strategy... the amount of people you piss off is potentially enough that they will never buy your device again.
Back when my Captivate was younger, despite there being many solid ROM options, people were still outraged the phone didn't receive prompt manufacturer provided updates.
Despite the whole "if people knew how to unlock bootloaders, bricks would happen left and right!" argument that I've seen circulating for the last 2 years.. the reality is if people know their warranty is voided, they either do or don't care. If unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone were just a few ABD commands that would be all the litmus test needed really.
The reality is if people can use ABD then they are probably technically proficient enough to install a custom ROM. If they are too scared for their warranty/afraid of entering commands by text, they are probably not going to want to install a custom rom anyway.

Snow_fox said:
You know.. I think the bold part is also problematic. While it is a great "theoretical" strategy... the amount of people you piss off is potentially enough that they will never buy your device again.
Back when my Captivate was younger, despite there being many solid ROM options, people were still outraged the phone didn't receive prompt manufacturer provided updates.
Despite the whole "if people knew how to unlock bootloaders, bricks would happen left and right!" argument that I've seen circulating for the last 2 years.. the reality is if people know their warranty is voided, they either do or don't care. If unlocking the bootloader and rooting the phone were just a few ABD commands that would be all the litmus test needed really.
The reality is if people can use ABD then they are probably technically proficient enough to install a custom ROM. If they are too scared for their warranty/afraid of entering commands by text, they are probably not going to want to install a custom rom anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's how it is on the Nexus series (simple ADB commands), which I doubt is bricked any more than on any other devices.
Back to Scotty's post, I really don't think LG wants to update these phones (that's what the development community is for), so I don't think their goal is to keep you on their software. I don't think the custom software is supposed to serve any purpose but to make people buy the devices in the first place. I do agree that they're concerned that unlocked bootloaders make people more likely to brick (which is likely not true since it's the same people unlocking bootloaders on locked devices as the people who install custom ROMs on others). I actually think that locking bootloaders makes people trying to unlock them more likely to brick in the process. CM ROMs actually make things easier on their update team since the people who care about the OS version are typically the first to try custom ROMs. At the very least, I would like for LG to implement a similar strategy to HTC and Motorola where they keep track of people who unlock, but give a free, painless method. This would make everyone (LG and us) fairly happy.

If there is going to be a lg nexus phone wouldn't it be much easier to unlock the boot loader and have kernel sources? The hardware is the same

Rooting is evolving

This doesn't sound too good for our Note 4.
Now that it may only be possible to root by modifying the kernel, it seems that unlocking a device will be a requirement going forward.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/1...ew-modified-kernels-may-become-a-requirement/
Chainfire has already said his CF-ROOT method won't work on our Note 4 because the bootloader is locked.

That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.

antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a hard bargain considering I don't know anyone who WOULDN'T want to update to lollipop.

I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.

Jspex said:
I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be honest, flashing a rom on an AT&T note 4 seems very very unlikely.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Yeah I know. It's looking more likely that this device may never be rooted. That is sad only because that is the main drawl to android for me is the ability to fully customize my device. I've never cared about the warrantee or tripping counters, I always know the risk I take. Maybe once I've paid off this phone I'll switch over to TMOBILE,that is as long as Google/Samsung haven't completely locked the phones down by then.

AT&T Locking down Note 4
Jspex said:
Yeah I know. It's looking more likely that this device may never be rooted. That is sad only because that is the main drawl to android for me is the ability to fully customize my device. I've never cared about the warrantee or tripping counters, I always know the risk I take. Maybe once I've paid off this phone I'll switch over to TMOBILE,that is as long as Google/Samsung haven't completely locked the phones down by then.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hell, if that's the way it's going to be, might as well switch to the iPhone 6 Plus....Yeah yeah I know....but at least with the iphone, NO BLOATWARE! I'll just overpay the $500 for the 128gb, and stick with that for at least 3, maybe 4 years....I know I'll be giving up widgets, and custom ROMS, but Hell, if we can't Root or unlock the bootloader, we're not going to have custom ROMs anyway. And all this bloatware is unacceptable. Oh well, I knew before I picked up the NOTE 4 yesterday, that ATT had locked down this phone, so it's my own fault I'm going to have to go through the tedious return process in less than 14 days from now...but at least Apple keeps getting away from dictating to ATT that they will NOT be allowed to put bloatware on the iphone.

lock10 said:
Hell, if that's the way it's going to be, might as well switch to the iPhone 6 Plus....Yeah yeah I know....but at least with the iphone, NO BLOATWARE! I'll just overpay the $500 for the 128gb, and stick with that for at least 3, maybe 4 years....I know I'll be giving up widgets, and custom ROMS, but Hell, if we can't Root or unlock the bootloader, we're not going to have custom ROMs anyway. And all this bloatware is unacceptable. Oh well, I knew before I picked up the NOTE 4 yesterday, that ATT had locked down this phone, so it's my own fault I'm going to have to go through the tedious return process in less than 14 days from now...but at least Apple keeps getting away from dictating to ATT that they will NOT be allowed to put bloatware on the iphone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Face to face, the note 4 decimates the iPhone. Root or no root. If you want root and don't care about the note features (which in assuming is the case since you're considering an elongated iPhone) why not get the nexus 6.

robstunner said:
Face to face, the note 4 decimates the iPhone. Root or no root. If you want root and don't care about the note features (which in assuming is the case since you're considering an elongated iPhone) why not get the nexus 6.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know, you have an excellent point. IF ATT doesn't try to lock down the Nexus 6, I think that is exactly what I'll do, though I'll miss the s-pen, but not like the iphone had that either. Better make sure I get the 64gb version since it has no microsd card slot. Or I can wait for Sony's enticing Z4 rumored for a March launch....don't know if ATT will be locking that one down either though...
It's a shame too, because I could give up custom ROM's, but NOT Root! I need my Titanium back-up!

I doubt they would lock down the Nexus line. The whole point of getting a Nexus device is for the open source features ie root and unlocked bootloader. I can understand why they lock down Galaxy devices. They are aimed at productivity and business so it makes sense they want them to be as secure as possible. What I don't understand is why people still complain. This has been going on for years and we have known that ever since the GS4 all future Samsung phone on the AT&T network would be locked down so if it's anyone fault it's the user who buys the phone expecting things to change. It's insanity at its heart. I'm not dissapointed because I bought the Note 4 knowing full well it'll probably never get root or an unlocked bootloader. Besides doing so voids all warranty anyways and I wouldn't wanna risk pretty much a 900 dollar device. Also Samsung has made great strides at appeasing people who like customizing there phones and cleaning up the UI. Still there is always that slim chance someone at Samsung will leak the unlock keys for the device. It's happened before and with how popular the Note 4 is getting, this might very well happen. If not, nobody to blame but ourselves.
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 4 using XDA Premium HD

Thermalwolf said:
I doubt they would lock down the Nexus line. The whole point of getting a Nexus device is for the open source features ie root and unlocked bootloader. I can understand why they lock down Galaxy devices. They are aimed at productivity and business so it makes sense they want them to be as secure as possible. What I don't understand is why people still complain. This has been going on for years and we have known that ever since the GS4 all future Samsung phone on the AT&T network would be locked down so if it's anyone fault it's the user who buys the phone expecting things to change. It's insanity at its heart. I'm not dissapointed because I bought the Note 4 knowing full well it'll probably never get root or an unlocked bootloader. Besides doing so voids all warranty anyways and I wouldn't wanna risk pretty much a 900 dollar device. Also Samsung has made great strides at appeasing people who like customizing there phones and cleaning up the UI. Still there is always that slim chance someone at Samsung will leak the unlock keys for the device. It's happened before and with how popular the Note 4 is getting, this might very well happen. If not, nobody to blame but ourselves.
Sent from my AT&T Galaxy Note 4 using XDA Premium HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why complain ? Wanting more is absolutely normal. Aimed at business? Why would they do that? the most money is with everyday users. You remember that thing called blackberry ? Did they aim for business lol? Insanity at heart ? Such strong language. Usually there are ways to return back to stock so you wouldn't be risking much if such methods were avaliable.

Jspex said:
I'll stay of 5 if that means I can root this device. Honestly once rooted 5.0 roms can be developed and flashed so taking the Ota doesn't make sense for an xda community member.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you root on 4.4.4 and safestrap works to flash roms, you'll only be able to flash 4.4.4 roms, never a 5.0 rom.
That is, of course, unless the bootloader gets unlocked.

Right. To get to "L" with root you would either need an unlocked bootloader, or a root method that works on "L" after install.
4.4.x root + Safe strap won't ever get you to "L" by itself.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

Hell, I'm not that desperate to flash a custom rom anytime soon. I'd settle for Root so i can use my precious Titanium for backing up app/game save data AND to freeze Samsung and ATT's damn crapware.
I pledged $50 on the bounty thread for Root and No Trip Knox.
But as mentioned earlier, might take the Note 4 back and wait for Nexus 6.

You also could just get the tmobile note 4 and use it on att...
Sent from my Note3 Rocking DynamicKat or my G3

For backups you could use Helium.
But you are right, root would be very handy for bloat removal...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using XDA Free mobile app

the funny thing...is that the lg g3 from at&t seem to have root even if it come with locked bootloader??

antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
About the only reason, right now anyways, that I would want root is so I can turn off a few more of the "bloat" apps. Right out of the box I was able to disable many of the offending apps. Sure- they are still installed but at least they are not running.
for my average usage, I am easily able to get through the day, (off charger at about 6AM and back on for bed around 10PM), with about 25-30% left over.
If we get root, GREAT! I'll dance a little dance around a campfire at midnite. :fingers-crossed:
If we don't get root, I'll be ok. TB will be lost to me but there are alternatives.

antde201 said:
That post was referring to devices with Android 5.0 or Lollipop. It cites the difficulty of rooting Android L due to Android closing up some security holes that allow devices to be rooted.
The takeaway from this that Note 4 users should adhere to is; ensure that you don't install any OTA updates from At&t if you want to root in the future with limited difficulty. At least that's what I believe the post boils down to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually it means that if you want a Note 4 on lollipop with AT&T you will not be able to have root.
Well at least without finding a way to unlock the boot loader. The only way to get root on lollipop is to modify the kernel. Which you CAN NOT do without an unlocked boot loader. So if root is a must have for you then you will be stuck on KitKat.
Unless some genius out there finds a way to unlock the boot loader having root on this phone will only last a short while.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app
---------- Post added at 01:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:08 AM ----------
zxaz said:
the funny thing...is that the lg g3 from at&t seem to have root even if it come with locked bootloader??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They figured out how to unlock the borrower on the lg g3. Which gives me a small bit of how we will see it for a Note 4 as well, but they still haven't figured out the note 3 so I'm am not holding my breath.
Sent from my SHIELD Tablet using XDA Free mobile app

optimusv45 said:
Why complain ? Wanting more is absolutely normal. Aimed at business? Why would they do that? the most money is with everyday users. You remember that thing called blackberry ? Did they aim for business lol? Insanity at heart ? Such strong language. Usually there are ways to return back to stock so you wouldn't be risking much if such methods were avaliable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wanting more is normal but asking for something that's already been confirmed to not happen and for valid reasons is absolutely asinine and immature. There are ways to return to stock but there are not ways to fix KNOX from a voided phone. Seriously you make no sense. The Galaxy line has been indeed aimed more for business. Business is actually where the money is at. I'm not talking a couple small businesses buying a ten line bundle, I'm talking about corporate contracts, which is what Samsung is aiming for. You can't compare Blackberry to Samsung. Blackberry completely ignored the everyday user. Samsung aims at both but keeps business in mind first, hence why they are pushing KNOX and it is indeed working.

[Q] help Root SCH-i535PP on 4.4.2

Ive been searching night and day trying to find a way to root my galaxy S3 (SCH-i535) running 4.4.2 . Ive come up empty handed and as may know TOWEL ROOT DOES NOT WORK ON THIS BUILD. The most progress I have made is unlocking developer options with 7-tap doctrine. (haha) So this is pretty much a "calling all car" for those out there who are well versed in the art of rooting and all things $ sudo.
Info on safely reverting to an android OS that is rootable would also be useful.
l or any knowledge about the SCH-I535PP on 4.4.3 (pre paid verizon Galaxy S3) and exploits discovers .
Im lightly knowledgeable in Terminal, soooooo. If any one knows some work arounds or anything that would at least make me smile please feel free to write.
Tell me me what you all know and restore my faith in the power of the internet community.
much love,
-Lifehertz

ive also been looking
ive also been looking to root my phone also. all ive been able to dig up is possible roms that might be flashable with this model. and help would be greatly appreciated!

I knew I wasnt alone.
For some reason i have faith that someone is working on getting this phone rootable.
Until then lets keep the conversation going.
Do you have any links to these rims. Also, what are your thoughts?

I want root too because this phone is not compatible with samsung gear apps for my neo...very heartbreaking. ..wanted to put more apps on my watch but can't because this verizon galaxy s3 prepaid is not updated like all the other ones.....

Hey guys, I'm just posting to join in the misery. I feel like a hero for getting past the activation setup wizard! I have spent many hours researching how to root this stupid phone, and at this point its my white whale. There will be a way eventually, and this thread can be our anchor when that day comes. If anyone has a problem with the setup wizard, let me know.

The white whale under my friend.
Im curious as to how long the SCH-I535PP has been available on 4.4.3.
Because if it has been a short amount of time then the true developers and root wizards
Probably haven't had much need or want to work on a root for this phone.
I am noticing though after walmart dropped the price of the phone severely
And christmas came around. There are a Lot of new SCH-I535PP users. So maybe if we keep asking around and raising awareness about this build needing root, then a root genie will hear the cries of the community and get to work granting us our wish.
Verizon really locked this up with the recent update. This phone is two years old and there are many stronger phones coming out the root gods are focusing on blessing. But, its not hard to see that the SCH-I535PP is fantastic tool for its price point.
Please, anyone who reads this and is well versed in rooting phones, please do the SCH-I535PP community a solid and help us step out from being the prison bars of 4.4.2.
Thank you for letting me ramble. I hope it helped keep the spirit alive. Haha

Disclaimer: I'm an android noob, and everything in this post could be wrong. I'm just trying.
lifehertz said:
Im curious as to how long the SCH-I535PP has been available on 4.4.3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that version of kitkat was released on June 2nd, 2014, if that helps.
I don't understand whether ALL sch-i535 after that date are blocked from rooting, or ONLY the sch-i535pp (prepaid) version. I've read conflicting things because the circumstances change over time, but the threads on forums stay the same. What was true 5 months ago might not be true anymore.
I believe (could be wrong) that every single phone that was updated after June 2nd is completely SOL and blocked from being rooted. I think Towelroot was the last thing that worked for anybody, and even that method is lost to ANYTHING with a Kernel date of June 3rd or later. Mine is July 22nd. I believe the truth is that the vast majority of people that are rooted are just not updating to KitKat because they know it will un-root them and the party is over. I think that anyone with a phone that is old but updated to kitkat can reset to factory and get back to JellyBean or whatever version they originally had that can be rooted. So that leaves a small, but growing population that just simply can't root because we have the newest galaxy S3s with late kernel dates off the shelf . It's just getting harder and harder to find exploits. They guy who wrote towelroot works for google now, finding/fixing exploits that he once used to hack phones.
Either the population will catch up with us 'un-rootables' or they will leave us behind as bigger and better things come along. The Galaxy S3 is (kind of) yesterday's problem. I'm just sayin.....

I truly hate to be the burden of bad news but I can't say I'm surprised by verizon finally locking down the S3. The contract version was rumored to have been locked down with a version past the last official OTA of 4.4.2 but it seems that the pp version was moved to 4.4.3 which in all seriousness was then locked down by big red
Going forward I'd stay away from verizon as far as phones go, the short version of this is the fact that they will try anything possible to lock down every android phone they can
My S3 running BlissStalk

Damn it. The mutiny. The injustice!
Im beginning to accept this fact. You all have been great. If verizon is a bust, do you know of any prepaid phones that are easily rooted? I might sell this stupid paper weight. My goal is to be able to fully use terminal and learn the android Unix shell. These things are extremely powerful and yet we arent supposed to know or use its power..
Anyways. I don't know much about using Sims on phones because ive only owned CDMA. I don't really need a nee phone. Just somthing with 2gb of ram at least. Any suggestions or experiencs?

lifehertz said:
Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't bother with the Aquos Crystal. It's such a great phone for the price, but it hasn't been rooted yet. I have one, and I enjoy it for the stock.

lifehertz said:
Im beginning to accept this fact. You all have been great. If verizon is a bust, do you know of any prepaid phones that are easily rooted? I might sell this stupid paper weight. My goal is to be able to fully use terminal and learn the android Unix shell. These things are extremely powerful and yet we arent supposed to know or use its power..
Anyways. I don't know much about using Sims on phones because ive only owned CDMA. I don't really need a nee phone. Just somthing with 2gb of ram at least. Any suggestions or experiencs?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sadly I don't off hand no, I moved over to straight talk and thankfully can get almost any phone I'd like. I'm currently debating on a Nexus 5
My S3 running BlissStalk

I Have An Idea!!!!!!!!
How about someone looks for the 4.3 kernel for this phone, flashes it through ODIN, root with towelroot, and goes back to the new kernel with root! That's what they did with the AT&T Galaxy S5, and it should work and Verizon devices too.

sezamer66 said:
How about someone looks for the 4.3 kernel for this phone, flashes it through ODIN, root with towelroot, and goes back to the new kernel with root! That's what they did with the AT&T Galaxy S5, and it should work and Verizon devices too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you flash a kernel on the VZW S3 you will brick the phone on a locked bootloader
Sent from my Nexus 5

ShapesBlue said:
If you flash a kernel on the VZW S3 you will brick the phone on a locked bootloader
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt that'll happen, since the AT&T and Verizon S5 and many other devices have been rooted with downgrading the kernel. Either way though, IDK if it'll even work, sknce it sounds impossible to boot a JB kernel on a KK platform. Has anyone tried Cydia Impactor on this device?
Sent from my SCH-I535PP

sezamer66 said:
I doubt that'll happen, since the AT&T and Verizon S5 and many other devices have been rooted with downgrading the kernel. Either way though, IDK if it'll even work, sknce it sounds impossible to boot a JB kernel on a KK platform. Has anyone tried Cydia Impactor on this device?
Sent from my SCH-I535PP
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On the S3 I've been around here and seen many people do just that. While it may be an option on other devices even the VZW S5 it will not work on the S3
Sent from my Nexus 5

I honestly think we're screwed guys. I'm not lying, I've tried 6 OR MORE DIFFERENT METHODS to root!!!!! The kernel probably denies any file by the name of "su" or any file in general to be pushed from adb to the /system partition or any root partition. Let's just quit and leave it to Chainfire lol

sezamer66 said:
I honestly think we're screwed guys. I'm not lying, I've tried 6 OR MORE DIFFERENT METHODS to root!!!!! The kernel probably denies any file by the name of "su" or any file in general to be pushed from adb to the /system partition or any root partition. Let's just quit and leave it to Chainfire lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While chainfire is an excellent developer I doubt even he can crack what VZW did to this device
Sent from my Nexus 5

ShapesBlue said:
While chainfire is an excellent developer I doubt even he can crack what VZW did to this device
Sent from my Nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And I surely doubt it too, unfortunately. I dream of the day Big Red will cut the ****.

sezamer66 said:
And I surely doubt it too, unfortunately. I dream of the day Big Red will cut the ****.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say probably never, especially when they can basically tell there customers to do whatever they want when they want. I think it would be nice but I highly doubt it
Sent from my Optipop N5

ShapesBlue said:
I'd say probably never, especially when they can basically tell there customers to do whatever they want when they want. I think it would be nice but I highly doubt it
Sent from my Optipop N5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I want to root this phone too. The kingroot 4.1 do not work phone just reboot.

How is the LG Dev community? Is LG modder-friendly?

The G6 seems to have a really active dev community. Is that a one off or is that constant? Is it easy to root LG devices? I have a choice between this of the S9+ and I can't decide on what to go for.

sacredsoul said:
The G6 seems to have a really active dev community. Is that a one off or is that constant? Is it easy to root LG devices? I have a choice between this of the S9+ and I can't decide on what to go for.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't speak on behalf of the LG community as of late but the last time I had one, the G4, there was plenty of people wanting to mod/create ROM's but couldn't due to LG's restrictive bootloader unlock nature.
If it means anything, I wouldn't grab the Snapdragon 845 version of the S9+ either. If you want to root/flash ROM's, you need to get the Exynos version of the S9+. I wouldn't, as there is reportedly severe battery issues with the Exynos chipset. Getting root on the S8+ with the Snapdragon version took a very very long time whereas there was virtually no wait for the Exynos version.
I really hope there's some development for the G7!

I think it died after the G4. Just the for traffic alone in these G7 forums, should show that not many are interested in LG anymore. If it weren't for the free phones promo, I prolly wouldn't even get an LG.

The V20 had a pretty nice community for T-Mobile at least and even somewhat still does. The reason I got the Note 8 over the V30 was it had and still currently has root which I need in order to even use a phone to my liking. If the G7 or V40 has a nice root community I might get the V40. However at this point I'm likely just getting a Oneplus 6. As at this point I doubt we'll have root on the Note 9 Snapdragon version or T-Mobile devices as a whole. They used to be really root friendly like Sprint then once they became big they became pretty bad from a customer standpoint. They definitely are better than the other big two but not the carrier I fled to years ago.

20degrees said:
I think it died after the G4. Just the for traffic alone in these G7 forums, should show that not many are interested in LG anymore. If it weren't for the free phones promo, I prolly wouldn't even get an LG.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the damned truth. I wouldn't have purchased the G7 has it not been for the buy one get one free thing..

Use to be the go to dev friendly brand...not anymore. I really wish a mainstream brand would allow for this stuff, but it seems the carriers won.

Seems like OnePlus is the way to go. Or perhaps Xiaomi. None of the mainstream brands unfortunately.

sacredsoul said:
Seems like OnePlus is the way to go. Or perhaps Xiaomi. None of the mainstream brands unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Like who may care still in 2018 for custom ROM developments when everything works fine in stock ROM, even EAS is supported.

Billy Madison said:
Like who may care still in 2018 for custom ROM developments when everything works fine in stock ROM, even EAS is supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol then why are you in the xda for then if you dont care about custom roms? And the simple answer is AOSP.

sickkside13 said:
Lol then why are you in the xda for then if you dont care about custom roms? And the simple answer is AOSP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't exactly agree with the AOSP comment, but yeah...there are other forums if you only have questions to be answered.

Billy Madison said:
Like who may care still in 2018 for custom ROM developments when everything works fine in stock ROM, even EAS is supported.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When LG invariably stops supporting this phone 9 months into it's life, and you want to at least have security patches on it....

is the unlocked version worth the price over Verizon buy one get one?

Looking to get the 3XL when it comes out through Verizon. Most likely Verizon is going to run a buy one get one with adding on a new line in.
With the phone being stock Android already but with a Verizon locked bootloader is it more beneficial to give up the buy-one-get-one and just buy an unlocked one through Verizon? If I go the buy-one-get-one route myself and my brother-in-law are going to be splitting the retail cost of the one we have to buy
EDIT 10/13/2018
Come to find out we cannot have any more smartphones on our line with it being a special plan that it is. So we can't take advantage of the buy one get one

If you want root, then do not buy the Verizon version. On all previous Verizon Pixel devices "OEM unlocking" in developer options has been disabled. With that disabled you can't unlock the bootloader. With a locked bootloader you can't install TWRP. Without TWRP you can't install Magisk. Without Magisk you have no root.
If having root is not important to you, then feel free to go for the Verizon version.

Face_Plant said:
If you want root, then do not buy the Verizon version. On all previous Verizon Pixel devices "OEM unlocking" in developer options has been disabled. With that disabled you can't unlock the bootloader. With a locked bootloader you can't install TWRP. Without TWRP you can't install Magisk. Without Magisk you have no root.
If having root is not important to you, then feel free to go for the Verizon version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?

Androider4Life said:
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's always good reasons to root. Ad blocking is the number one thing that comes to mind. Utilities like Better Battery Stats to see what's killing your battery, Titanium Backup to backup your apps or uninstall system apps, WakeBlock to block or limit wakelocks so your phone isn't waking up every 10 seconds to send analytics data to Facebook/Twitter/Google when it should be sleeping, etc.
Google phones still come with bloat, it's just not as bad as Samsung or LG phones. For example, my 6P came with a ton of Google apps installed (Play Games, Hangouts, Play Movies, Docs, Slides, and **** ton more) that I would probably never use or have a desire to use. Sure you can disable most of them, but I'd rather remove them entirely.

These are the best reasons for rooting. Ad blocking is a good one, and I just enjoyed flashing new and different roms. It was fun - there was a new cm nightly every day to flash. I've got away from that partly because of less development and partly because stock android is pretty good as is. New features like android pay are very security conscious and don't play well with root. It's up to you if you want to give up the ability to root. Half price on the phone is pretty tempting. If you can't handle staying stock you could probably get your price out of the phone on Swappa and buy from Google. If there is any development to get in to. I've been stock the past year and am happy with that.

dmb219 said:
These are the best reasons for rooting. Ad blocking is a good one, and I just enjoyed flashing new and different roms. It was fun - there was a new cm nightly every day to flash. I've got away from that partly because of less development and partly because stock android is pretty good as is. New features like android pay are very security conscious and don't play well with root. It's up to you if you want to give up the ability to root. Half price on the phone is pretty tempting. If you can't handle staying stock you could probably get your price out of the phone on Swappa and buy from Google. If there is any development to get in to. I've been stock the past year and am happy with that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did not think about the swappa thing. May be a good idea depending on what it's going for on there when it releases.
If I would stick with the Verizon variant, I would just need to stay off XDA and not read "what I could be doing with the unlocked variant" lol.

Androider4Life said:
Looking to get the 3XL when it comes out through Verizon. Most likely Verizon is going to run a buy one get one with adding on a new line in.
With the phone being stock Android already but with a Verizon locked bootloader is it more beneficial to give up the buy-one-get-one and just buy an unlocked one through Verizon? If I go the buy-one-get-one route myself and my brother-in-law are going to be splitting the retail cost of the one we have to buy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ill never understand why anyone would buy a device thats locked down if they dont have to.
Absolutely Id go for the nom Verizon version....its a no brainer.
Sent from my Note 9 exynos, S9 plus exynos, Pixel 2 XL or Note FE

Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!

galaxys said:
Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What he said ^^

galaxys said:
Don't get a locked device, especially if you're hanging out on XDA!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, the fact that you're here is testament to the need for the unlocked Pixel. I've been mostly stock for the last couple years but tinker occasionally. I want the ability to tweak my phone even if I choose not to, especially if there is some development going on. I hope there is some life left in the Pixel community here, it's been kind of quiet. The phone is more difficult to mod and to be honest, the stock software is hard to improve on.

dmb219 said:
Yea, the fact that you're here is testament to the need for the unlocked Pixel. I've been mostly stock for the last couple years but tinker occasionally. I want the ability to tweak my phone even if I choose not to, especially if there is some development going on. I hope there is some life left in the Pixel community here, it's been kind of quiet. The phone is more difficult to mod and to be honest, the stock software is hard to improve on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was my thought too about how stock software is hard to improve on to justify buying unlocked rather than the buy one get one thru Verizon ( if they offer it) and splitting the cost of the one we have to buy.

Androider4Life said:
That was my thought too about how stock software is hard to improve on to justify buying unlocked rather than the buy one get one thru Verizon ( if they offer it) and splitting the cost of the one we have to buy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have Verizon but if I got a Pixel for half price thru my carrier I might be on that. My son has Verizon and gets his phone free from his work. He was a hacker too but has been good with a stock Pixel XL since he got it. Monthly updates - hard to beat stock on the Pixels.

As others have mentioned, having an unlocked phone generally means you are able to root the device. However, I couldn't help but noticing Google's new Titan chip that is claiming to securing passwords and the OS. My question is, how is this new "chip" going to play with "rooting" the device. Will simply having an unlocked device bypass this new Titan chip?

At this moment Verizon's 128gb model is 30$ more at 1029.99 with 9% tax 1122.69 plus $30 upgrade fee. Total $1,152.69
Google's version is 999.99 with 9% tax $1089.99
So all in all with tax one is saving over roughly 62$
Verizon is doing BOGO on the 64gb only, and offering a wireless stand. Even without the BOGO it equalizes out.
I don't need the BOGO so buying from Google is cheaper for me

I haven't rooted in YEARS. The last phone I rooted was the 1+2. OEM vanilla android is so good now I'm not even tempted. I stopped specifically when I thought about why I was installing ROMs. I wanted one that hid from Android Pay (back in the day) and allowed me to clone my phone if it broke. So, I was installing software from suspect sources to make copies of my device and perform financial transactions... Dafuq was I thinking!
This probably isn't a popular thing to say, but... how much do you really trust random dudes calling themselves "SKREET/|/KLoWnzZ", or some ****, who put together the "(-XxX[DaRTh++KriMzON ].::.KaRBoN.::.SKuLLzZzXxX-)" ROM, anyway? You've probably got some kind of banking data on that phone, right? I'm not saying Devs are crooks, but I'm certain more than one dude out there isn't on the up-and-up, I promise you. Mathematics demands it to be so. My wife would choke the piss out of me if our account got drained because I compromised our data using a hot ROM cooked up in Romania.
NOW, I get unlocked phones so I can carry a blank phone and switch carriers for trips overseas. My Pixel 2XL will replace my Nexus 6 as my travel phone, and the Pixel 3XL will be my main phone

I have been purchasing my phones directly either from Google or HTC, just so I could unlock and root. But I haven''t been rooting, even with an unlocked bootloader. I am probably not going to unlock my Pixel 3XL since I want to use Android Pay, and also play PoGo (I know Magisk can hide it, but it's always a game of cat and mouse.)

Plus, you never know. The original Verizon Pixel was unlockable for a brief time. It's unlikely, but it could happen this time as well.

Androider4Life said:
I know the whole locked bootloader, TWRP stuff. It's probably been since my Google Nexus and I believe my Note 4 or 5 that I messed with rooting, unlocked bootloaders and roms LOL
But with it being stock pure Google is there really anything truly beneficial to having the unlocked bootloader to allow for rooting possibilities. I used to root my phone's just to run custom roms to get rid of them bloatware that other manufacturers put on it. But since the pixel doesn't have a bloat or skin overlay, is there a real reason for rooting capabilities?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since the Nexus? You didn't even unlock the 5X? So the question is should I spend an extra $1000 so I can possibly use Adaware? You won't need Titanium if you're not flashing roms, Better BS works perfectly without root, and there is no bloatware any longer. I understand if these things like flashing roms from Romania (lol that post above is funny) are important to you but you haven't rooted in like what, 5 years now? This is really a no brainer.
---------- Post added at 11:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:48 AM ----------
spotmark said:
Plus, you never know. The original Verizon Pixel was unlockable for a brief time. It's unlikely, but it could happen this time as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not gonna happen like it did for that one month. That flaw has been closed. I'm just waiting for a bounty thread for temp root. And I'm wondering even with temp root if you'd be able to unlock the bootloader on this device.

bobby janow said:
Not gonna happen like it did for that one month. That flaw has been closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm well aware of that, thanks, but I prefer to be optimistic and hope that we may get lucky. When we get them in our hands, we'll know for sure.

spotmark said:
I'm well aware of that, thanks, but I prefer to be optimistic and hope that we may get lucky. When we get them in our hands, we'll know for sure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do admire your optimism but they've been at this a long time and it seems they really have it locked down this time. Unless the Pixel 3s have an exploit I just don't see it. I do hope you're right though.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app