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[Qs] XT926 - Questions Regarding Root

Hi all,
My SGS2 recently just died all of a sudden and while trying to flash a new firmware it bricked. =( Hence I'm currently looking for a replacement phone and have always wanted to get the Razr Maxx HD simply for it's battery life (a phone that has to be continuously plugged in to use all features is so pointless). Unfortunately, I am from Singapore which means the purchase is rather "risky" since it's expensive to ship and return is not an option. Hence I have some questions that will help me make a decision. Hope you guys can help me out. That fact that the 2 models are in the same forum doesn't really help make things clear.
1) Boot Loader
I've read that Dev version comes unlocked while Consumer (Verizon) version comes locked. I've also seen instructions on rooting the Verizon version; I'm a little confused. Can I or can I not root the consumer version?
2.i) Rooting
This is actually quite similar to (1). There are some apps that I use that requires rooting (e.g. Titanium Backup); rooting is essential to me. If I were to lay my hands on a non-Dev version, can I root it?
2.ii) Rooting
The current "procedure" for rooting is to downgrade to ICS 4.0.4 and then root, right? Is it safe to update to JB after that? There appears to be several posts claiming that they've lost their root after update. I assuming they didn't follow the post linked below? Also, rooting will not be possible (yet) if the firmware is on 4.1.2?
Ensuring Root After Updates?
3) Carrier Unlocked
I need to get an unlocked version for it to work with anything else other than Verizon - am I right? I've seen someone post that the XT926 is only locked in the US; it'll work on any other GSM carrier in the rest of the world. Is this true? Or did the guy mix it up with the XT925? There are many such posts.
4) Where to buy
Since return and shipping is an issue, I'm trying to stay away from eBay (unless the seller has good record). Unfortunately, many online retailers seem to be out of this phone! Can someone recommend a place where I can purchase the phone from? It does not have to ship internationally as I am able to arrange for courier services.
Thanks for the help!
P.S. I'm really dying to get this phone. I just need to have those questions answered before I splurge a rather large amount of money to ship it over.

Just started looking because I need a new phone and I'm not sure I can last till the GS4 comes out, the DNA has weak battery and poor storage and the note 2 is too much so late after it's release
1. The boot-loader for the verizon model is locked
2. You can root on ICS then upgrade with voodoo root keeper to 4.1.1; however there are reports that 4.1.2 has some issues with doing that. Verizon's can only downgrade to ICS from 4.1.1; if it comes with 4.1.2 it isn't rootable (yet)
3. Supposedly, verizon's works out of the box on all GSM except AT&T and Tmobile but I've seen some people have had some issues or at least someone did in india though
4. have you looked at like amazon wireless 650 no contract in us
Wirefly also has some in stock and on sale. I'm not sure of places that offer international shipping, though a bunch offer free shipping so it probably offsets anyways
There is only the T926 in a maxx version
This place might ship to singapore phone price 700

Hi! Thanks for the reply.
Yes, I am looking for the "Maxx HD", aka the XT926.
Anyway, can I summarize that, if I were to lay my hands on a "consumer" version,
1) Bootloader is locked; I won't be able to flash custom ROMs
2) Rooting is possible if the phone ships with ICS. Can also possibly upgrade to 4.1.1 after rooting.

I have the MAXX HD and to answer as I can:
Bootloader is locked on the consumer version. I believe the developer edition is unlocked.
The consumer version can be rooted if it is not on the 4.1.2 release. Earlier releases can be back-leveled to 4.0.4 which can be rooted. Once rooted, root can be preserved with OTA Root Keeper. SuperSU seems to survive updates as well if it is set to preserve itself.
I believe you can use custom ROMs if you have root (I started fiddling with Safestrap when I had issues with the update and had to fastboot my phone to stock.)
Once at 4.1.2 the phone cannot be back-leveled and cannot be rooted (yet hopefully).
As I understand it: GSM is locked domestically (US). Unlocked internationally if the phone has been activated domestically first.

Hey,
To add on to what others have said -- yes the phone is SIM unlocked, though it will *not* work on ATT/TMobile in the US without a firmware tweak (search around, it's an easy thing to do -- though I haven't done it myself.) The most recent update fixed the issue with roaming in India, though I haven't verified that myself. But the phone will definitely work in Australia as that's where I have been using it.
The phone works fine with the following caveats:
1. There is annoying "This SIM card is from an unknown source" warning when you turn the phone on. Easily bypassed by pressing "OK"
2. Tethering will not work on foreign SIMs, it tries to communicate back to the VZW network to verify your eligibility, which of course fails on a foreign SIM.
3. If you actually care about using the phone internationally on VZW's network, you need to call and have your account setup to allow for 4G international roaming (this is different then the 3G intl feature)
-- Dan

Thanks for the reply guys.
With regards to what dbeedle said, it means that I just can't grab the phone off AmazonWireless and ship it out of the US because it has to be activated domestically?
As for the caveats mentioned by Dan,
1) Yea, I can definitely live with that. I don't turn my phone on/off frequently.
2) Tethering will be an issue (I use it sometimes)
3) Not a concern for me.

Also, the Dev edition is not available with the maxx battery

University of Pi said:
Just started looking because I need a new phone and I'm not sure I can last till the GS4 comes out, the DNA has weak battery and poor storage and the note 2 is too much so late after it's release
1. The boot-loader for the verizon model is locked
2. You can root on ICS then upgrade with voodoo root keeper to 4.1.1; however there are reports that 4.1.2 has some issues with doing that. Verizon's can only downgrade to ICS from 4.1.1; if it comes with 4.1.2 it isn't rootable (yet)
3. Supposedly, verizon's works out of the box on all GSM except AT&T and Tmobile but I've seen some people have had some issues or at least someone did in india though
4. have you looked at like amazon wireless 650 no contract in us
Wirefly also has some in stock and on sale. I'm not sure of places that offer international shipping, though a bunch offer free shipping so it probably offsets anyways
There is only the T926 in a maxx version
This place might ship to singapore phone price 700
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader has been unlocked on the non dev. edition xt926 Verizon phone!!!

an21281 said:
Bootloader has been unlocked on the non dev. edition xt926 Verizon phone!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! Are you referring to this post?

baineteo said:
Hi! Are you referring to this post?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No this one... http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/15008-motorola-bootloaders-cracked/
http://vulnfactory.org/blog/2013/04/08/motorola-bootloader-unlocking/

an21281 said:
No this one... http://www.droidrzr.com/index.php/topic/15008-motorola-bootloaders-cracked/
http://vulnfactory.org/blog/2013/04/08/motorola-bootloader-unlocking/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well well.. that's definitely good news!
One last question, does the phone has to be activated in the US before it can be used? I don't use to have a USD700 piece of kevlar sitting on my desk..

Will the Motorola XT926 work in Australia
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the info I have a Motorola Verizon XT912 which works fine in Australia but also has the annoying "SIM is from an unknown source" message and I also could not get tethering to work with an Aust SIM.
Now, I would like to buy the XT926 however sellers on ebay are quoting... "* Quad-band GSM and 3G support (available only outside of the United States with Verizon roaming)" That concerns me however I don't believe it's true.
So you have not had any issues with your XT926 working on GSM and 3G in Australia ?
Thanks
David
Cpudan80 said:
Hey,
To add on to what others have said -- yes the phone is SIM unlocked, though it will *not* work on ATT/TMobile in the US without a firmware tweak (search around, it's an easy thing to do -- though I haven't done it myself.) The most recent update fixed the issue with roaming in India, though I haven't verified that myself. But the phone will definitely work in Australia as that's where I have been using it.
The phone works fine with the following caveats:
1. There is annoying "This SIM card is from an unknown source" warning when you turn the phone on. Easily bypassed by pressing "OK"
2. Tethering will not work on foreign SIMs, it tries to communicate back to the VZW network to verify your eligibility, which of course fails on a foreign SIM.
3. If you actually care about using the phone internationally on VZW's network, you need to call and have your account setup to allow for 4G international roaming (this is different then the 3G intl feature)
-- Dan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Moto_Dave said:
Hi Dan,
Thanks for the info I have a Motorola Verizon XT912 which works fine in Australia but also has the annoying "SIM is from an unknown source" message and I also could not get tethering to work with an Aust SIM.
Now, I would like to buy the XT926 however sellers on ebay are quoting... "* Quad-band GSM and 3G support (available only outside of the United States with Verizon roaming)" That concerns me however I don't believe it's true.
So you have not had any issues with your XT926 working on GSM and 3G in Australia ?
Thanks
David
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
be cautious of these sellers on ebay. i just helped another member a couple days ago who bought an unlocked 925 from there (or so he thought).
after i had him check a few things for me, i confirmed without a doubt, it was a locked 926. now he has to file a claim.
you would be better off getting it from swappa.
here are the specs for the 926, it will not work on any other frequencies than those listed. others are just not built into the phone, so there is no way they can work, as far as im aware.
im not sure how they apply to your situation. i think you would have to find out what they use in your area, and see if they are listed in the specs.

[Q] Flash Verizon Moto G to Republic Wireless?

Ok so the Moto G is rooted and bootloader unlock capable, there's ROM dumps of the VZW and RW roms, and both Republic Wireless and Verizon are CDMA, but I can't seem to find any hard data on whether or not it's possible to flash a Verizon Moto G to Republic?
There's certainly no guides for how to do it, the only guide on this forum is flashing a Boost Moto G to Pageplus...
The reason I ask is because there are a ton of Verizon prepaid Moto G's on Ebay for $75 apiece, which is literally half off the price of ordering from RW.
Has anyone done this? Is it possible? Is it just a matter of unlocking the phone, flashing the RW rom and modem, and activating the phone on RW?
I've done a ton of roots and flashes of various devices before, but I've never flashed a carrier-locked device to another carrier - I'm not scared to do it, I just want to know if it's possible at present. I know it's theoretically possible, but without someone confirming they've done it I'm leery of dropping $70 on this phone, though I'd really love to save $70 on it since I'm scrambling to replace my wife's phone after she managed to waterlog another phone less than 3 months after the previous one...
(And yes, I've searched this and other xda forums for the answer to this and turned up nothing concrete...)

illuminerdi said:
Ok so the Moto G is rooted and bootloader unlock capable, there's ROM dumps of the VZW and RW roms, and both Republic Wireless and Verizon are CDMA, but I can't seem to find any hard data on whether or not it's possible to flash a Verizon Moto G to Republic?
There's certainly no guides for how to do it, the only guide on this forum is flashing a Boost Moto G to Pageplus...
The reason I ask is because there are a ton of Verizon prepaid Moto G's on Ebay for $75 apiece, which is literally half off the price of ordering from RW.
Has anyone done this? Is it possible? Is it just a matter of unlocking the phone, flashing the RW rom and modem, and activating the phone on RW?
I've done a ton of roots and flashes of various devices before, but I've never flashed a carrier-locked device to another carrier - I'm not scared to do it, I just want to know if it's possible at present. I know it's theoretically possible, but without someone confirming they've done it I'm leery of dropping $70 on this phone, though I'd really love to save $70 on it since I'm scrambling to replace my wife's phone after she managed to waterlog another phone less than 3 months after the previous one...
(And yes, I've searched this and other xda forums for the answer to this and turned up nothing concrete...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are probably no guides because the bootloader on the Verizon model is currently the only one that cannot be officially unlocked. I say "officially" because, apparently, there's a "Chinese guy" on these forums that you can pay to get you a code to unlock it. I bought one from Amazon (when it was $70) to use as a WiFi only device (aka media player), but I found out that same night that the VZW model is the only one with the locked down bootloader. Needless to say, I refused the package, and it went right back to where it came from. I knew that price was too good to be true. It's cheaper because the VZW model is junk (at least in my opinion).

charesa39 said:
There are probably no guides because the bootloader on the Verizon model is currently the only one that cannot be officially unlocked. I say "officially" because, apparently, there's a "Chinese guy" on these forums that you can pay to get you a code to unlock it. I bought one from Amazon (when it was $70) to use as a WiFi only device (aka media player), but I found out that same night that the VZW model is the only one with the locked down bootloader. Needless to say, I refused the package, and it went right back to where it came from. I knew that price was too good to be true. It's cheaper because the VZW model is junk (at least in my opinion).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I thought the unlock posted here was not an "official" unlock and therefore would work on any Moto G because it was more or less a "hack", was I mistaken about that?
What about flashing a Boost over to RW or some other variant? I can get a Boost Moto G on ebay for about $100, so that's still $50 cheaper than ordering from RW.

illuminerdi said:
Oh I thought the unlock posted here was not an "official" unlock and therefore would work on any Moto G because it was more or less a "hack", was I mistaken about that?
What about flashing a Boost over to RW or some other variant? I can get a Boost Moto G on ebay for about $100, so that's still $50 cheaper than ordering from RW.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, before you are able to flash anything onto your phone, you need to have an unlocked bootloader. In order to do that, you have to register with Motorola, and then go through a couple steps to get the unlock code for your device. This is so they can keep track of you unlocking your bootloader because it voids your warranty (in the US at least). This is the first step in all the guides I've seen for rooting this device. Then after that, you can flash a custom recovery, root, etc. If you Google "motorola unlockable bootloader", you can click on the link that takes you to the official Motorola page that shows which of their devices can have their bootloader unlocked.
As far flashing Boost to RW, I couldn't tell ya. I'm not familiar with either one of those. If it were possible, I would imagine it wouldn't be the easiest thing to do.

Since Boost and RW are both Sprint-MVNO's, I would think it would be a pretty easy straight forward flash. But I haven't heard of anyone doing it. Does RW offer "bring your own device" ?
Sent from my XT1028 using Tapatalk

jcmarv said:
Since Boost and RW are both Sprint-MVNO's, I would think it would be a pretty easy straight forward flash. But I haven't heard of anyone doing it. Does RW offer "bring your own device" ?
Sent from my XT1028 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sort of...they only have 2 phones that you can use, and you MUST use their ROM on the phones since it includes special controls for making calls over wifi when the signal is available. One of the 2 phones you can buy from them is the Moto G, and their ROM has been dumped by another forum member here. You can activate service directly from the phone itself, and they do allow reselling phones and activating used phones, so in theory you could buy a cheap Moto G somewhere, unlock the bootloader, flash the RW firmware onto it, and then activate.
But nobody has actually confirmed whether or not this works, and I'm not really in a position financially at the moment to plunk down the money to experiment like this.
To add another layer of complexity on top of everything, the Verizon Moto G's are the only ones that you can't unlock the bootloader on (yet), but I'm going to ignore that hurdle for now - I'll get a Boost phone or something instead if that ends up being the only block.
Does anyone have a spare Moto G that they want to test this on (or could send me...?) I think RW has a 30 day guarantee, so even if you signed up for service with them to test cellula+3G data you could cancel without paying any money.
Though I suspect I may have to be the guinea pig on this, but again, I'm not really in a position to pay for this right now. I wouldn't mind waiting but my wife needs a phone soon.

illuminerdi said:
Sort of...they only have 2 phones that you can use, and you MUST use their ROM on the phones since it includes special controls for making calls over wifi when the signal is available. One of the 2 phones you can buy from them is the Moto G, and their ROM has been dumped by another forum member here. You can activate service directly from the phone itself, and they do allow reselling phones and activating used phones, so in theory you could buy a cheap Moto G somewhere, unlock the bootloader, flash the RW firmware onto it, and then activate.
But nobody has actually confirmed whether or not this works, and I'm not really in a position financially at the moment to plunk down the money to experiment like this.
To add another layer of complexity on top of everything, the Verizon Moto G's are the only ones that you can't unlock the bootloader on (yet), but I'm going to ignore that hurdle for now - I'll get a Boost phone or something instead if that ends up being the only block.
Does anyone have a spare Moto G that they want to test this on (or could send me...?) I think RW has a 30 day guarantee, so even if you signed up for service with them to test cellula+3G data you could cancel without paying any money.
Though I suspect I may have to be the guinea pig on this, but again, I'm not really in a position to pay for this right now. I wouldn't mind waiting but my wife needs a phone soon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an unlocked verizon moto g and i flashed the republic software on my phone but sadly the activation can never complete.

eg0097 said:
I have an unlocked verizon moto g and i flashed the republic software on my phone but sadly the activation can never complete.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did anyone figure this out?
I would like to use a Verizon Moto G on Republic Wireless.

I'm also interested in this, but doing it the other way around: flashing a non-Republic Wireless firmware onto a Moto G XT1031 which came from Republic Wiress / with RepublicWireless Lollipop 5.1 firmware and locked Motorola bootloader. So that I can use my phone with other CDMA-based, Sprint MVNOs (i.e. RingPlus, Ting, Tello etc).
I am actually switched over to RingPlus (cancelled the RW service). With the stock RW XT1031_falcon_cdma 5.1 firmware, the phone handles inbound voice calls well. The only issue is obviously the dial out voice calls - RW's own freaking software app intercepts my dial out call and will reject it, arguing that I have no active RW service...

Help with Sony Z5 - WIND

Hey forumers I'm a little new here so sorry if this is a huge noob question
Yesterday I bought a Sony Z5 outright from a local provider here in Canada and I had gotten it unlocked and such but it doesn't seem like I'm able to find my local WIND network.. after some research i found that this phone might not be compatible at all
I had gotten a couple hints that maybe if I root I can unlock the band or something... I don't know.. if anyone knows what I can do please let me know.. I rather like this phone aha
TLDR/ Looking for a way to get Sony Z5 Compatible with WIND

If you already unlocked the sim and it doesn't work then it doesn't work. Should have checked the network bands before purchasing. If you don't know you can ask one of the wind representative. Also, if I remember correctly you might need root or worst you need to unlock the bootloader (which you can't because it is from bell), to unlock the other bands. All I know is that unlocking bands require alot of coding and complicated procedures. Gl bud, return it if you can if it doesn't work out.

LitoNi said:
If you already unlocked the sim and it doesn't work then it doesn't work. Should have checked the network bands before purchasing. If you don't know you can ask one of the wind representative. Also, if I remember correctly you might need root or worst you need to unlock the bootloader (which you can't because it is from bell), to unlock the other bands. All I know is that unlocking bands require alot of coding and complicated procedures. Gl bud, return it if you can if it doesn't work out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a reason why BELL cannot unlock the bootloader? I've been doing a lot of research since I posted this thread (im becoming obsessed even as a noob) and I'll need to root the phone, install custom kernel/ROM and edit 6 values into the non volatile memory in order to gain access to add additional bands. The Chipset in the Z5 should in theory allow AWS bands..

Make sure your APN is correct before going through all that trouble. Unlocking bootloader on Sony phones renders some special features useless.

augie7107 said:
Make sure your APN is correct before going through all that trouble. Unlocking bootloader on Sony phones renders some special features useless.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you!
I have triple checked the APN settings to be perfectly compatible with WIND and that is not the issue.
So pretty much either i lose out on features in order to root - unlock the radios
or I return it and somehow get the Z5 DUAL.
I really love this phone and can't think of any others to get if I return it and don't go for the dual lol.

GearshiftJB said:
Is there a reason why BELL cannot unlock the bootloader? I've been doing a lot of research since I posted this thread (im becoming obsessed even as a noob) and I'll need to root the phone, install custom kernel/ROM and edit 6 values into the non volatile memory in order to gain access to add additional bands. The Chipset in the Z5 should in theory allow AWS bands..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As far as I know, here in Canada when ever you get a phone from a carrier the bootloader is locked forever. Blame the carriers not sony. And from my years in XDA - sony in particular I don't think I have met a developer skilled enough to get the bootloader unlocked on non unlockable devices, maybe Samsung devices yea but not sony.
Installing custom roms and kernels would require you to unlock the bootloader which you can't do so with carrier phones. This is the down side when you get carrier phones. Always get international phones because they are not locked forever.
I have the international version so I don't know about the bell one. Go to dial pad and input *#*#service#*#*
From there navigate to service info / configuration. Under rooting status, if it states "yes" next to bootloader unlock allowed then you can unlock it if it states "no" then it means no

LitoNi said:
As far as I know, here in Canada when ever you get a phone from a carrier the bootloader is locked forever. Blame the carriers not sony. And from my years in XDA - sony in particular I don't think I have met a developer skilled enough to get the bootloader unlocked on non unlockable devices, maybe Samsung devices yea but not sony.
Installing custom roms and kernels would require you to unlock the bootloader which you can't do so with carrier phones. This is the down side when you get carrier phones. Always get international phones because they are not locked forever.
I have the international version so I don't know about the bell one. Go to dial pad and input *#*#service#*#*
From there navigate to service info / configuration. Under rooting status, if it states "yes" next to bootloader unlock allowed then you can unlock it if it states "no" then it means no
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for that.
I went through the directions and the bootloader says no. Looks like I'm heading to return it later today as I'm not interested in losing out on features if I was to root etc...
dang, I feel like I was so close to, but after reading on everything for a few hours, I must hang up the towel. I will probably try and buy the Sony Z5 Dual in green now from Ebay (the color I wanted anyways)
Thanks everyone for the assistance even though we came up short!

GearshiftJB said:
Thank you for that.
I went through the directions and the bootloader says no. Looks like I'm heading to return it later today as I'm not interested in losing out on features if I was to root etc...
dang, I feel like I was so close to, but after reading on everything for a few hours, I must hang up the towel. I will probably try and buy the Sony Z5 Dual in green now from Ebay (the color I wanted anyways)
Thanks everyone for the assistance even though we came up short!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, at least its not too late to return it. You can still root the device but just can't unlock the bootloader.
Just curious, how much did you pay in total for the phone outright?

LitoNi said:
No worries, at least its not too late to return it. You can still root the device but just can't unlock the bootloader.
Just curious, how much did you pay in total for the phone outright?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
$649.99 + tax so $734.48 which I totally didn't mind, I was due for an upgrade and was able to sell off my previous phone...
I'm looking into the Z5 Dual and it's showing me $854 for it... on ebay at least http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Sony-Xperia-...903367?hash=item419df43c47:g:86QAAOSwo0JWF52C
that jump though..

GearshiftJB said:
Thank you!
I have triple checked the APN settings to be perfectly compatible with WIND and that is not the issue.
So pretty much either i lose out on features in order to root - unlock the radios
or I return it and somehow get the Z5 DUAL.
I really love this phone and can't think of any others to get if I return it and don't go for the dual lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sucks, sorry you are having difficulty. As an FYI, I made multiple edits on a coupe Xiaomi Qualcomm devices with a NV editor and the changes stuck but it never enabled any additional bands. I see that neither model on the Z5 Compact is compatible with Wind on any band by plugging in values here:
http://www.willmyphonework.net/

Xperia Z3 D6616 T-Mobile bootloader unlock

So for a lot of the phones the option for unlocking the bootloader comes after you get your sim-unlocked from carrier, currently I have a sim locked D6616 on T-Mobile and dialing *#*#7378423#*# gives bootloader unlock allowed : no. I can use the phone on T-Mobile network for 40 days to get it sim-unlocked, would that trigger bootloader unlock allowed : yes for Xperia Z3 D6616?
Thank you

ddvche said:
So for a lot of the phones the option for unlocking the bootloader comes after you get your sim-unlocked from carrier, currently I have a sim locked D6616 on T-Mobile and dialing *#*#7378423#*# gives bootloader unlock allowed : no. I can use the phone on T-Mobile network for 40 days to get it sim-unlocked, would that trigger bootloader unlock allowed : yes for Xperia Z3 D6616?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My understanding is: No.
I've had mine for 7+ years and nothing changed. You can get root, but the bootloader is locked.
Obviously, unless they have some hardware stuff going on, there is always the possibility to unlock it, either through cracking things or a release of keys etc at some point, but given this phone is almost 8 years old, TMo doesn't care, and Sony Mobile gives zero about the US market, the demand for unlocking is low.
I would love it if, given all of the vulnerabilities in Android discovered over the past 8 years, someone had found a way to crack it, but it seems like most have abandoned it. Not to mention batteries are kind of iffy at 8 years....
Though there is still a chance. I pulled mine out of storage the other day when I remembered it has a headphone jack and it's rooted, so I can tighten things down, plug it into a speaker, and have it run as a dedicated receiver for notifications. And now I'm browsing through XDA to see if anyone has cracked it. If I get a chunk of free time or am really trying to avoid something, I may physically open it up and see if there are any physical attack vectors, assuming someone hasn't already gone that route.

Though there may be a way to unlock the bootloader.... maybe?
Xperia Z3 (T-Mobile) D6616 Android 6.0 Not Found
Hi, I've Xperia Z3 (T-Mobile) D6616 running on Android 5.0. I would like to install Android 6 on it. I prefer to install Stock Rom of Android 6 On my Z3. Default :(, If there are a cool & good :D Custom ROM of Android 6. I was not able to root...
forum.xda-developers.com

Question Sweet merciful Jesus is the Verizon bootloader still permalocked?

How has nobody found a solution to this? Surely it's a software thing. You'd have thought some badass member somewhere with enough of a chip on their shoulder against Verizon would have figured a way around this.
Too bad there isn't a bounty for it.

jdkzombie said:
How has nobody found a solution to this? Surely it's a software thing. You'd have thought some badass member somewhere with enough of a chip on their shoulder against Verizon would have figured a way around this.
Too bad there isn't a bounty for it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it is a simple or easy as it being simply a "software thing", and I completely believe it could/would never be done...but @wr3cckl3ss1 is on the case!
you can see a bit of how he's progressing HERE and HERE and HERE

It's unfortunate; this was actually the reason I switched from Verizon to T-Mobile lol. It appears the Verizon variant of the Pixel 6 remained locked all this time so I wouldn't bet on much different with the Pixel 7 :/ Hopefully somebody finds something for those with the VZW variant.

simplepinoi177 said:
I doubt it is a simple or easy as it being simply a "software thing", and I completely believe it could/would never be done...but @wr3cckl3ss1 is on the case!
you can see a bit of how he's progressing HERE and HERE and HERE
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Nice!
Surely it couldn't be a hardware lock!?

Does anyone know how to read and interpret a Magisk log? And can show or tell me what's missing

jdkzombie said:
Nice!
Surely it couldn't be a hardware lock!?
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The issue here is 2 java applets.....nothing hardware.

Too bad we didn't have a Verizon inside agent. Tell us wtf they do to lock it. Because isn't that against Googles Tos? It's sold as an unlock able device.

jdkzombie said:
Too bad we didn't have a Verizon inside agent. Tell us wtf they do to lock it. Because isn't that against Googles Tos? It's sold as an unlock able device.
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It's Verizon that demands it. But it's Google's own code that puts the lock in place...so they're both at fault.

wr3cckl3ss1 said:
It's Verizon that demands it. But it's Google's own code that puts the lock in place...so they're both at fault.
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Weird. Strange that this would still be a thing. Not like the device was cheap to purchase.

My question is why is Verizon so "gung-ho" about it? More than any other carrier (other carriers eventually allow to unlock the bootloader)? I could understand when they used to repair their own devices (so they didn't want the liability and the headaches of when customers messed with the devices); but that's the not the case anymore. Outside of their greedy archaic grasp on tethering and to load unremovable bloatware, I don't know what they have to fear of unlocked bootloaders & root access.

Who knows.
I'm willing to throw money towards a bounty that removes Verizons strangle hold on devices. I don't mind their service, and the signal is good where I live, but I like customization. And I'd love to try some new kernals to change up the CPU scheduler and power plans to stop the phone from bringing the 4 big cores online for casual use.

Just get the unlocked version and use with Verizon service. What's the upside with having the Verizon variant?

Because it's not that simple. You can't swappa sell a phone you're making any payments towards. And the phone is too new for trade in with another carrier of any type.

VZW variants have been locked since the OG Pixel days aside from that small window before taking an OTA you could unlock if it was on a certain version. Sadly I don't see this changing anytime soon and if you want to unlock BL and root get the unlocked version from the Google Store. There's really little incentive buying Pixels from Verizon now. With Pixel Pass and Google Store financing those are good options if you can't drop all the money up front.

Just buy the unlocked model. Some retailers have awesome trade in deals coming from the 6 series or iPhones. It works just as well on Verizon and avoids the 36 month committment.

I hate how Verizon shuts down the option for unlocking the bootloader and rooting, but it is easier to purchase a device from them because your payments will coincide with your regular monthly cell bill, you already pass the credit check when you open an account with them (no need to apply for one with Google Synchrony Financing), and I just went through with this with my wife's phone but unless you qualify enough to cover the Pixel (my wife qualified for the Pixel 7, not the P7P at the storage capacity we wanted), you're stuck paying all (up to $1400 [P7P 512GB w/ 2 year protection & tax]) up front -- where there's virtually no risk of this if you purchase through Verizon (they want to lock you in to years-long contract and you already passed the credit check)! So there's (some of) the benefits....
*but it's still more worth it beyond any of these "benefits" to get it from Google Store unlocked....

Lol. Here's a simple solution. Buy the unlocked version. Who changes carriers because of a bl lock? WTF?

At this point I think we all know that Verizon isn't going to unlock the Bootloader. if you want an unlocked bootloader, it is easier, and more guaranteed to just buy the unlocked version from Google vs trying to find vulnerabilities in the bootloader and having to worry about it being patched each month.

Not sure if this is still in effect, but many years ago, if you purchased an unlocked phone instead of the Verizon branded one, WiFi calling wouldn't work. I'm not sure if there was something missing from the phone that Verizon needed to make it happen, or if Verizon was just screwing over those who purchased unlocked versions.

andygold said:
Not sure if this is still in effect, but many years ago, if you purchased an unlocked phone instead of the Verizon branded one, WiFi calling wouldn't work. I'm not sure if there was something missing from the phone that Verizon needed to make it happen, or if Verizon was just screwing over those who purchased unlocked versions.
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it's working perfectly fine with my device....it also worked with my Pixel 5 (also unlocked variant from Google Store)....