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(As a foreword, I've been searching and trying to find these answers myself but I haven't had much luck. If there are resources out there covering my questions, please direct me there. Thanks!)
Could someone please inform me of the specific difference(s) between the VRALEC and VRALE6 bootloaders? Also any background info would be interesting to know as well (order in which they were leaked, timeframes, circumstances etc).
Next question: I was able to successfully ODIN the VRALEC bootloader (only) to my stock phone on VRBMF1. When I tried to do the same with VRALE6 it failed with a signing-related error. However I was able to flash the VRALE6 directly using the CASUAL utility and that worked fine. I don't understand why/how the phone will allow itself to boot from that file, but wouldn't allow it to be ODIN'd. Could somebody enlighten me? Also, if I were to have tried ODIN'ing the entire VRALE6 bootchain, would that have succeeded?
Also, is there any rationale for using any other bootloader(s)? There appear to be at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients out on the web in different places. From what I can gather though, only the two listed above are significant since they are 'unlocked'.
Lastly, which bootloader does the Developer Edition phone use? Does it come unlocked, or is it unlock-able via some web site or something? If it has its own 'special' unlocked bootloader, why could we not simply get a copy and use that on retail phones rather than the old/leaked version widely used now?
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pluto01 said:
(As a foreword, I've been searching and trying to find these answers myself but I haven't had much luck. If there are resources out there covering my questions, please direct me there. Thanks!)
Could someone please inform me of the specific difference(s) between the VRALEC and VRALE6 bootloaders? Also any background info would be interesting to know as well (order in which they were leaked, timeframes, circumstances etc).
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Well, for the longest time the VRALEC was titled the "boot chain" and I'm seeing now in Invisiblek's awesome thread over on Rootz, that's not the case anymore. So, I'll preface this by saying referring to both VRALEC and VRALE6 terms as "bootloaders" sounds weird now because VRALEC was originally titled "VRALEC.bootchain.tar".
VRALEC file should be a "tar" and the VRLE6 file should be a "zip." Cool? Here's how to differentiate, the VRALEC.bootloader.tar needs to be flashed in Odin to allow you to install a custom recovery. It is essentially just the first step of several to unlock the bootloader, it is not unlocked at this point. Someone of a more technical background can explain this better but its like this file is hijacking the boot sequence and telling the phone everything is still recognized as official firmware. There's no trigger that prompts the phone to give you the yellow triangle warning. Once a custom recovery is installed, you need to flash in recovery the VRLE6.zip to unlock the bootloader. Both of these files come from a pre-release VZW GSIII that were so graciously provided to AdamOutler by an African-Canadian Sock Monkey. Seriously, check post #317. This also serves to answer your question about times, leaked, etc. Moving on!
Next question: I was able to successfully ODIN the VRALEC bootloader (only) to my stock phone on VRBMF1. When I tried to do the same with VRALE6 it failed with a signing-related error. However I was able to flash the VRALE6 directly using the CASUAL utility and that worked fine. I don't understand why/how the phone will allow itself to boot from that file, but wouldn't allow it to be ODIN'd. Could somebody enlighten me? Also, if I were to have tried ODIN'ing the entire VRALE6 bootchain, would that have succeeded?
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As I said above, VRALE6 should be a zip file and needs to be flashed in custom recovery NOT Odin. That's the key difference.
Also, is there any rationale for using any other bootloader(s)? There appear to be at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients out on the web in different places. From what I can gather though, only the two listed above are significant since they are 'unlocked'.
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Nope. Idk what you mean by "at least 10 different bootloader and/or bootchain version varients." Maybe there is a "bootloader" per each OTA that we have received? But honestly, every OTA thus far has been rooted/unlocked via almost the exact methods so this is a moot topic. There are only two unlock files of significance for any root/unlock method for the VZW GSIII: VRALE6.zip and VRALEC.tar
Lastly, which bootloader does the Developer Edition phone use? Does it come unlocked, or is it unlock-able via some web site or something? If it has its own 'special' unlocked bootloader, why could we not simply get a copy and use that on retail phones rather than the old/leaked version widely used now?
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Well, AdamOutler actually received some help and got this phone unlocked well before the dev edition was released last year so there was never a need to look towards that device for bootloader unlock help. I have no clue about how to unlock that device and there's been no reason to think about having (at the time) a $650 dev edition GSIII when the retail one was officially unlocked. No clue on compatibility with bootloaders between either device.
Im sorry if there was already a solution to this posted, but Ive been wracking my brain and searching the forums here for days and cant seem to find a solution. Im trying to SIM unlock my Sprint S5 G900P, As far as I seen I have to root it then downgrade it to kitkat in order to use the SSU application. Well the root was cake, used odin. But I have yet to be able to intall a new OS, I have used multiple .tar OS with no avail it fails everytime, if it helps im in the US. Please any Insight would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.
SSU wont unlock it for domestic use. @stifilz does domestic unlocks and idoneapps.com does too. Stifilz does them with no requisite cost, but a donation for all his hard work is always good, and idoneapps unlock is $35 and doesnt require root. also, to install a different OS, youll need to flash a custom recovery, and the majorly preferred one is TWRP. You get a tar.md5 (similar to what you flashed to root it) and install it via Odin. I might be twlling you stuff you already know about installing ROMs, but if you need addt'l info, let us know. In either event, SSU wont domestically unlock it regardless of what firmware youre running
youdoofus said:
SSU wont unlock it for domestic use. @stifilz does domestic unlocks and idoneapps.com does too. Stifilz does them with no requisite cost, but a donation for all his hard work is always good, and idoneapps unlock is $35 and doesnt require root. also, to install a different OS, youll need to flash a custom recovery, and the majorly preferred one is TWRP. You get a tar.md5 (similar to what you flashed to root it) and install it via Odin. I might be twlling you stuff you already know about installing ROMs, but if you need addt'l info, let us know. In either event, SSU wont domestically unlock it regardless of what firmware youre running
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Thank You so much!
jessejames91 said:
Thank You so much!
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No problem man. I'm not at work now, so let me know if you need anything else. I can throw some links and instructions at ya
Hello All,
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
Hello All,
xlivexevilx said:
Ok so first off you guys at XDA are the ****! I swear I can find anything I need to know on this site with a little research, much respect. So as the title suggests I wanted to know if it's possible to flash a SM-G970U (US) with SM-G970F (UK) firmware? I am basically looking for a slightly less complicated way of enabling "OEM Unlock" to Unlock the bootloader. And yes I realize that more than likely I will not be able to use any US sim cards with that firmware but if it is possible and I could unlock the bootloader I could basically load anything I wanted onto it right?
......actually seems like the SM-G9700 would be a better candidate for the firmware to load on the SM-G970U.
.....be gentle, I'm a N00B...kind of =\
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Actually i want to know as well because i read somewhere where someone said its possible because they are all the same models........did it work for you?
yea no...don't do that it won't work
Lol i already tried it flashed succesfully according to odin but when the device rebooted it came with the same firmware before and nothing changed Lmao
how did it flashed ,please specify
I was told this is not possible. Unless you can find original overstock (i.e. that has NOT been updated) in which case you can pay to unlock the bootloader.
Otherwise, I believe any bootloader beyond v1 cannot be bootloader unlocked. Only hope is Sammie does us a solid when this goes EOL and unlocks the bootloader. Question is whether VZW and AT&T will prevent them from doing that.
My S10e is still going great, and if I could root and flash a custom rom I'd probably replace the battery and roll with it another 3-4 years because I have no interest in the larger phones that dominate the Android market now.
So you got the Edge S and want GApps? Basically you unlock your bootloader, root with Magisk, then install MagiskGApps.
DISCLAIMER: UNLOCKING YOUR BOOTLOADER MAY VOID YOUR WARRANTY, AND DOING ALL THESE THINGS IN THIS GUIDE MAY RESULT IN DAMAGE/BRICKING YOUR PHONE. I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING YOU DO TO YOUR PHONE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
1. Unlock the bootloader: that should be doable with their global bootloader unlock website here.
2. Download Lenovo Motoroa Smart Assistant (Rescue and Smart Assistant), and follow its instructions to "rescue" your device. It will lead you to boot into bootloader mode and download the firmware. Find the firmware file via the LMSA's downloads (should have a "show folder" button). You'll need the boot.img file for Magisk.
3. Download Magisk, then follow its instructions. You'll have to copy the boot.img to your device, then use Magisk to patch the boot file, then copy the modified one to your PC.
4. You'll need fastboot. If you don't have it already, you can download the Android SDK platform tools here. Then go into the folder, Shift+Right Click the folder, then "Open Command Prompt" or "Open PowerShell," you should have something close to one of those two. Copy your Magisk modified .img file to that folder, then you'll want to input:
fastboot flash boot [modified .img file]
Once that completes, you should see in large text, "Start" on your phone next to the power button. Press the power button, and it should boot, and you should have root now.
5. Download MagiskGApps to your phone, open Magisk on your phone, click the button that looks like a puzzle piece at the bottom of the screen, "Modules." Click "Install from storage," locate the MagiskGApps file, and install it. After that it will ask you to restart your phone, do that, then you'll just have to be patient as it takes time once its restarted to load everything. You also may need to update some or all of the apps, then you should be able to use the notification to finish setting up the phone with Google Setup.
Thanks to Motorola for making it easy to unlock their bootloaders
Thanks to the whole Magisk team for making an easy, awesome root (and more!)
Thanks to Wacko1805 (and team?) for making MagiskGApps. This is really awesome.
unlock the BL and get root is will make some apps fingerprint and face ID fail?
kimker said:
unlock the BL and get root is will make some apps fingerprint and face ID fail?
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Magisk has a "Magisk Hide" which will allow it to pass SafetyNet, and most things which check on device security will think the device is secure. But unlocking BL and rooting does make the device less secure, and therefore incurs its own risks apart from bricking or damaging the device.
HopelesRomantc91 said:
Magisk has a "Magisk Hide" which will allow it to pass SafetyNet, and most things which check on device security will think the device is secure. But unlocking BL and rooting does make the device less secure, and therefore incurs its own risks apart from bricking or damaging the device.
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yes, i knew the unlock and root will take risk.. but not sure is Payment business apps using fingerprint will work normal.
kimker said:
yes, i knew the unlock and root will take risk.. but not sure is Payment business apps using fingerprint will work normal.
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Google Pay works. But according to the Motorola website you should be able to relock the bootloader if yours doesn't work. But there's never any guarantee. If you need your device secure, recommend don't unlock bl or root, or wait to see if there's a root option without bootloader unlock that can be easily undone.
HopelesRomantc91 said:
Google Pay works. But according to the Motorola website you should be able to relock the bootloader if yours doesn't work. But there's never any guarantee. If you need your device secure, recommend don't unlock bl or root, or wait to see if there's a root option without bootloader unlock that can be easily undone.
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I saw that someone’s edge s had unlocked the BL and Flash G100 firmware and everything worked normally, and then tried to lock the BL again, but it was unsuccessful and the system could not start. The flashing tool does not recognize the machine.
kimker said:
I saw that someone’s edge s had unlocked the BL and Flash G100 firmware and everything worked normally, and then tried to lock the BL again, but it was unsuccessful and the system could not start. The flashing tool does not recognize the machine.
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That's not good. Hopefully they can restore it back somehow. With this guide to unlock and flash gapps why would you need to flash G100 though? This seems to be itright now without one of rom developer's releases to get root & apps. For me this is all i would look for. Titanium backup on it and restore.. done until PE rom comes out.
kimker said:
I saw that someone’s edge s had unlocked the BL and Flash G100 firmware and everything worked normally, and then tried to lock the BL again, but it was unsuccessful and the system could not start. The flashing tool does not recognize the machine.
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I would think yes, if you flash different firmware, locking the BL would likely cause problems. It's very difficult to do anything w/o unlocked bootloader, except sometimes rooting is doable. That's pretty much the behavior I expect. If they come to this subforum, we might be able to help.
HopelesRomantc91 said:
I would think yes, if you flash different firmware, locking the BL would likely cause problems. It's very difficult to do anything w/o unlocked bootloader, except sometimes rooting is doable. That's pretty much the behavior I expect. If they come to this subforum, we might be able to help.
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thank you. They did not ask for help. It seems that the lock BL is a self-verification switch, and then performs a verification system integrity.
HopelesRomantc91 said:
I would think yes, if you flash different firmware, locking the BL would likely cause problems. It's very difficult to do anything w/o unlocked bootloader, except sometimes rooting is doable. That's pretty much the behavior I expect. If they come to this subforum, we might be able to help.
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I'm curious,If you unlock and flash other firmware and then flash back to the original firmware, can it be locked again?
Mine doesn't let me unlock its BL. I've got unlock code from moto and did a factory reset with SIM card in slot 1. After enabling developer mode and debugging the switch still is greyed out. So no chance to unlock it.
Has anyone got an idea what to try now?
Moto support answered yesterday to my request but also no solution since I told them that it doesn't work
Device is not branded. I got it from Amazon so no provider branding.
If this won't be able to be unlocked and rooted I'll have to return it and switch to a Google Pixel.
kischde said:
Mine doesn't let me unlock its BL. I've got unlock code from moto and did a factory reset with SIM card in slot 1. After enabling developer mode and debugging the switch still is greyed out. So no chance to unlock it.
Has anyone got an idea what to try now?
Moto support answered yesterday to my request but also no solution since I told them that it doesn't work
Device is not branded. I got it from Amazon so no provider branding.
If this won't be able to be unlocked and rooted I'll have to return it and switch to a Google Pixel.
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I had the same issue, you need to factory reset WITH your sim card in the phone, this will let you open the OEM unlock slide thing in the dev mode.
Then once its done you can fastboot and unlock the bootloader.
I did so, maybe I explained not so well. SIM was inserted and then I did factory reset by starting it from settings. After restart it's still the same - switch / unlock slider greyed out.
kischde said:
I did so, maybe I explained not so well. SIM was inserted and then I did factory reset by starting it from settings. After restart it's still the same - switch / unlock slider greyed out.
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On my OG Pixel XL, I had to wait 7 days for the slider to become normal. By the time I got around to do it on the Edge S it was about the same time.... could be related
Now as you said that I remember that thingy with another device. Maybe a Xiaomi I think... With that I had to wait several days until the unlock code was delivered.
But there was a message, too, when trying to get it sooner, which said you needed to wait some more time.
Not sure if it's the the same for Moto devices? Then again, when thinking that you experienced the same with a Pixel, too...
Did anyone else make such an experience with his/her g100?
kischde said:
Now as you said that I remember that thingy with another device. Maybe a Xiaomi I think... With that I had to wait several days until the unlock code was delivered.
But there was a message, too, when trying to get it sooner, which said you needed to wait some more time.
Not sure if it's the the same for Moto devices? Then again, when thinking that you experienced the same with a Pixel, too...
Did anyone else make such an experience with his/her g100?
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Make sure your on the latest OTA, Lenovo made a mistake on previous versions with the OEM Unlocking function not being enabled. They fixed it in latest ota.
RSA tool said the file I uploaded yesterday is the latest one available (and it's exactly the same as the installed version).
The device was released just a few days ago in Europe. Perhaps they fixed the unlock switch in other regions and still need to fix it in Europe..
Will wait until weekend if they come up with a solution. If not I'm afraid I have to return the device as I need it personally AND professionally, too - I'm field agent, so.... :/
HopelesRomantc91 said:
I would think yes, if you flash different firmware, locking the BL would likely cause problems. It's very difficult to do anything w/o unlocked bootloader, except sometimes rooting is doable. That's pretty much the behavior I expect. If they come to this subforum, we might be able to help.
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The poor guy whose phone turned bricks went to the after-sales department of moto, and the answer was that he needed to replace the phone motherboard. .
kimker said:
The poor guy whose phone turned bricks went to the after-sales department of moto, and the answer was that he needed to replace the phone motherboard. .
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Ouch...
kimker said:
I'm curious,If you unlock and flash other firmware and then flash back to the original firmware, can it be locked again?
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I would assume so, but I don't really know why anyone would want to relock.
Attached are pictures of the error messages I'm getting. I've tried everything I come across on these forums, and nothing seems to fix the issue. Does anyone know how to get around this?
eddieofny said:
Attached are pictures of the error messages I'm getting. I've tried everything I come across on these forums, and nothing seems to fix the issue. Does anyone know how to get around this?
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There should be a PIT file packaged into the AP.tar. You need to extract this and use it in the PIT tab in Odin.
See this guide
V0latyle said:
There should be a PIT file packaged into the AP.tar. You need to extract this and use it in the PIT tab in Odin.
See this guide
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That's exactly what I did that caused it to throw these error messages
eddieofny said:
That's exactly what I did that caused it to throw these error messages
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Are you using the correct firmware?
V0latyle said:
Are you using the correct firmware?
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I guess I should have specified this in the original post. I'm trying to convert it from T-Mobile firmware to carrier unlocked firmware, which is exactly why I was trying to repartition the devices. Right now, it has TMB firmware on it, I'm trying to put XAA firmware on. I'm using the latest version of Patched Odin to try and accomplish that, and to the best of my knowledge, none of the files are corrupt.
eddieofny said:
I guess I should have specified this in the original post. I'm trying to convert it from T-Mobile firmware to carrier unlocked firmware, which is exactly why I was trying to repartition the devices. Right now, it has TMB firmware on it, I'm trying to put XAA firmware on. I'm using the latest version of Patched Odin to try and accomplish that, and to the best of my knowledge, none of the files are corrupt.
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Ah. Are you following a specific guide that tells you to do this? Carrier unlocking is generally done by the carrier in question. If you're the original owner of the device, contact TMobile and ask them to unlock your phone for use on another network. Your account must be paid off and in good standing to do this.
You can't unlock a phone simply by flashing new firmware, at least not to my knowledge.
A brief search through your post history shows that you already asked the relevant question, so it would appear that you're attempting to do something no one recommended without the knowledge that it will work.
It's better to ask questions before you try to do something you don't really know anything about, because the knowledge and expertise held by many here on XDA can save you a lot of pain. Trying to do things your own way can result in your device becoming no more useful than the average pebble.
As I said above, you cannot carrier unlock a device by flashing different firmware. It is hardware locked to the TMobile network, and to unlock it, the original owner and account holder must contact TMobile for the unlock code.
There are professional methods that can perform an unlock but this is not in the realm of the average user, and those tools are not available here.
V0latyle said:
Ah. Are you following a specific guide that tells you to do this? Carrier unlocking is generally done by the carrier in question. If you're the original owner of the device, contact TMobile and ask them to unlock your phone for use on another network. Your account must be paid off and in good standing to do this.
You can't unlock a phone simply by flashing new firmware, at least not to my knowledge.
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It's not to carrier unlock it, the phone is already carrier unlocked. But the TMO firmware does not allow for OEM unlocking and comes with a ton of bloatware as well. From all the research I've done, flashing unlocked firmware solves both of those problems
eddieofny said:
It's not to carrier unlock it, the phone is already carrier unlocked. But the TMO firmware does not allow for OEM unlocking and comes with a ton of bloatware as well. From all the research I've done, flashing unlocked firmware solves both of those problems
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What research where?
Is this a Snapdragon device?
You shouldn't need to repartition your device to flash a different CSC. However, flashing firmware with a different CSC won't enable OEM unlocking.
V0latyle said:
What research where?
Is this a Snapdragon device?
You shouldn't need to repartition your device to flash a different CSC. However, flashing firmware with a different CSC won't enable OEM unlocking.
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No, it's a MediaTek device. Honestly, I've read so much stuff, I wouldn't be able to remember where. I've read alot from here, as well as Stack Overflow and pretty much anywhere on the internet that looked like it had answers. I came away with the impression that carriers could choose to remove OEM Unlocking from their firmware, but that non-carrier firmware as a general rule of thumb would have that option available. As it stands, I don't have OEM Unlocking in my Developer Options at all
eddieofny said:
No, it's a MediaTek device. Honestly, I've read so much stuff, I wouldn't be able to remember where. I've read alot from here, as well as Stack Overflow and pretty much anywhere on the internet that looked like it had answers. I came away with the impression that carriers could choose to remove OEM Unlocking from their firmware, but that non-carrier firmware as a general rule of thumb would have that option available. As it stands, I don't have OEM Unlocking in my Developer Options at all
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Well...Yes and no.
There are a couple of properties that determine whether OEM Unlocking is visible: ro.oem_unlock_supported which is set at build time, and sys.oem_unlock_allowed
The first one is generally set at build time. The second one can be dynamic, like if the OEM/carrier wants the device to normally be unlockable, but wants E.T. to phone home to determine whether it should be allowed.
It's hard to say what the circumstance is here. But, in most cases, simply flashing different firmware will not permit unlocking the bootloader; in fact, a locked bootloader will generally prevent flashing anything but the firmware intended for that specific device.