this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2025
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Doesn't this break laws in the EU, JP, and US?
As long as they grease the right palms in the US it’s fine.
There's definitely no law in the US. In fact the vast majority of Android device bootloaders come locked. Pretty much just Pixels and Galaxies that allow this.
And even when it comes to Galaxies, you can't buy from a carrier in the US or you'll often get a special version that, you guessed right, has a locked bootloader. (Two phones now, never again).
Even the non-carrier variants in the US, misleadingly called "International variants" despite of being regional to the US, have locked bootloader.
Yuck, TIL.
Yuck indeed.
People tried many ways to get around it, back when I was still using an US variant Samsung Note 9, people went as far as using a leaked engineering/preproduction ROM, which can be flashed using Samsung's official tool because it does have the correct key for the locked bootloader to accept, being built and compiled by Samsung, and because it's an engineering ROM it would give you root and everything despite of the bootloader still being locked.
But it was an exceptionally rare leak, and it was only meant for preproduction for a reason, it is very VERY unstable and not exactly usable for a daily driver lol
So happy I am leaving all that BS from Samsung behind with my current Sony Xperia 1 VI which is bootloader-unlocked and rooted and deeply modded and truly my own device lol
I bought unlocked (no carrier) phones from samsung's website and got locked bootloaders. I'm in the US.
that probably only means that its carrier unlocked, so that you are not forced to use a specific carrier that someone decided for you.
Exactly, which makes the "you can’t buy from a carrier in the US or you’ll often get a special version that" invalid, since its locked bootloader whether or not you get it from a carrier
Yeah they might come locked, but the owner needs to be able to remove that lock if they want to.
I can't remember owning an Android device it wasn't possible on. What do you mean just pixel and galaxy allow it?
Bootloader unlocking used to be much more widespread, but manufacturers are removing that option to prevent users from having control over their devices.
I think computers are gonna be next on the chopping block.
It is moving that way for sure. But PC gamer is kicking still... Despite these gpu prices
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unlocking_Consumer_Choice_and_Wireless_Competition_Act
That's Carrier Unlocking, not Bootloader Unlocking.
Did you have a question?