Samsung appears to have a hit on its hands with the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge -- the reviews are glowing and carriers are having trouble keeping them on the shelves. However, some users are up in arms about the state of Samsung's software. According to enthusiasts, the T-Mobile version of the Galaxy S7 has a locked-down bootloader. This is causing so much consternation that owners have started a petition to get a bootloader unlock. But why all the fuss?
The bootloader on a device does exactly what the name implies. It contains the instructions on how to boot up a phone, tablet, PC or virtually any device with an operating system. The bootloader acts as a gatekeeper to make sure the code running on the phone is authentic as a security measure. A locked bootloader on Android will only allow properly signed software to be flashed to a device, and an unlocked one lets you install anything.
Having an unlocked bootloader is desirable for modding purposes. It makes it easy to install custom recoveries and root your phone. Almost all phones ship with locked bootloaders now, but some have support for user unlocking. The Nexus phones are famously unlockable, but HTC, Motorola, and others also support unlocking on most of their phone models too. The T-Mobile Galaxy phones have always offered an unlockable haven for fans of Samsung modding as AT&T and Verizon have always locked the bootloaders. Not so, this year. Samsung chose to lock the bootloader on the T-Mobile variant of the device, and there doesn't appear to be any way to unlock it(Opens in a new window).@MarkHibbard1(Opens in a new window) I'm aware some are upset. It's under Samsung’s control, but my engineers are asking them for a solution that they can support.
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) March 13, 2016(Opens in a new window)
When we talk about locked bootloaders in this context, they are actually locked and encrypted. You can't just issue a command to the phone after flipping the OEM unlock switch in settings like you can with a Nexus phone -- even those are locked out of the box. According to T-Mobile's John Legere, the decision to lock down the T-Mobile phone is Samsung's. The carrier has reached out to see about getting a bootloader unlock solution that it can support, but that could take a long time.
The fact of the matter is, most users should have devices that are bootloader locked. It's an important security measure, especially now that Android supports factory reset protection. This prevents a stolen device from being used without the owner's login details. If a phone has an unlocked bootloader, custom software can be flashed that bypasses that feature. This is probably why Samsung has started shipping all its devices locked. The problem is that Samsung doesn't have an official bootloader unlock program.
Without a bootloader unlock, there won't be any custom ROM development for the Galaxy S7. Rooting the device will also be extremely difficult, relying upon rare kernel and system vulnerabilities that can be patched in security updates. The petition(Opens in a new window) has hit the goal of 1,000 signatures after less than two days, so Legere might have to respond with more than tweets. Petitions don't usually do much good, but Android enthusiasts can be pretty persistent.Tagged In
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