# VZW locked the bootloader



## headcheese

Those jerks! Guess now we know why they were the last one to release it!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## 5i13r

Do you have a reference for this?



headcheese said:


> Those jerks! Guess now we know why they were the last one to release it!
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## headcheese

Reading about it in the vzw dev section on xda

hopefully its not that big of deal... most, if not all of the new phones lately besides nexus have been locked as far as i know.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ImaComputa

Fucking wow. Is there anyway to cancel my preorder if it hasn't shipped yet or am I stuck with this bullshit?


----------



## dnoyeb

Very sad indeed. Guess I'll give it to a co-worker and keep using my nexus instead.


----------



## headcheese

it sucks i know. but i wouldnt over react quite yet. the phone should still be a beast with tons of support. someone will crack it! i have faith


----------



## dnoyeb

oh yea, they will. When they do, I'll just get another one







Fun part of be the admin for telecom for my company... we always need more smart phones and buddy upgrades are great ;-)


----------



## yarly

5i13r said:


> Do you have a reference for this?


http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755594

The only S3 model locked down anywhere. Just goes to say how much Verizon hates modding.


----------



## JRJ442

yarly said:


> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755594
> 
> The only S3 model locked down anywhere. Just goes to say how much Verizon hates modding.


Wasn't GNex locked too? I'm pretty sure most Samsung phones come locked in the first place. U just have to unlock them like we did for the Nexus. I could be wrong. I haven't actually read the article. Is it locked and encrypted like Motorola phones?


----------



## joemagistro

yarly said:


> http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755594
> 
> The only S3 model locked down anywhere. Just goes to say how much Verizon hates modding.


but whats it have to do with them? theyre getting their money regardlesss


----------



## yarly

joemagistro said:


> but whats it have to do with them? theyre getting their money regardlesss


Huh? It's obvious Verizon wanted it locked. They're the only ones that have an S3 that is.


----------



## joemagistro

yarly said:


> Huh? It's obvious Verizon wanted it locked. They're the only ones that have an S3 that is.


lets see how long thats gonna last tho.. im not ENTIRELY worried.... yes the rezound took forever... but it was still done... plus its a sammy... i have a faith!


----------



## yarly

joemagistro said:


> lets see how long thats gonna last tho.. im not ENTIRELY worried.... yes the rezound took forever... but it was still done... plus its a sammy... i have a faith!


If you count sticking a paper clip in your device to short out a circuit, then I guess you could call the rezound unlocked, yes.

S3 will eventually get unlocked on Verizon somehow though.


----------



## joemagistro

im just gonna sit here and blame apple.. ITS ALL APPLES FAULT DAMMIT!!! lol


----------



## yarly

joemagistro said:


> im just gonna sit here and blame apple.. ITS ALL APPLES FAULT DAMMIT!!! lol


haha


----------



## dvader

Yeah this sucks I'm considering canceling too
Edit: is it like the gnex? Because that's no big deal. If it's like the dx then that sucks


----------



## headcheese

Definetely not fastnboot oem unlock like the gnex. Too soon to tell. Barely anyone has the phone.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## yarly

dvader said:


> Yeah this sucks I'm considering canceling too
> Edit: is it like the gnex? Because that's no big deal. If it's like the dx then that sucks


If it were like the nexus, the thread wouldn't exist


----------



## kisypher

this is why i didn't preorder, was waiting for the retail release to see what type of modding could be done. if it's too much of a pain in the arse i may just keep the Gnex a while longer.


----------



## kipland007

yarly said:


> S3 will eventually get unlocked on Verizon somehow though.


Anything that makes you confident of this? I'm searching for encouraging news...


----------



## PhantomGamers

I'm really tempted to cancel my order right now and pick up a T-Mobile version.


----------



## kisypher

i would do the same, but where i live verizon has me right where they want me as far as coverage goes. ATT or sprint just isn't an option for me, and the regional providers usually don't get the phones i want.



PhantomGamers said:


> I'm really tempted to cancel my order right now and pick up a T-Mobile version.


----------



## headcheese

kipland007 said:


> Anything that makes you confident of this? I'm searching for encouraging news...


Cause not alot of people have it yet. I bet we see s off within a month. Ril i guess who knows.

One of the geniuses will find an exploit. Maybe some different firmware will leak. Idk.

Phone hasnt even been "launched" yet.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## OMJ

Wow people stop freaking out. Like 50 people have the phone so far. All vzw phones these days that aren't nexus come locked this isn't something new.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## yarly

OMJ said:


> Wow people stop freaking out. Like 50 people have the phone so far. All vzw phones these days that aren't nexus come locked this isn't something new.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


It's new for Samsung devices. Previous Verizon ones were not locked in a way that was different from other carriers and their Samsung devices. That's why some people are grumbling.

However, as you mentioned, HTC and others are generally locked somehow.


----------



## OMJ

yarly said:


> It's new for Samsung devices.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki

Yea and honestly that likely means they did a really bad job of it. This isn't a Motorola phone. I think there is a better chance of it getting unlocked in the next 2 weeks than it staying locked for 2 months or more. Obviously I'm guessing but there's a ton of over reaction to a common mobile phone practice in this case.


----------



## PhantomGamers

I asked this in another thread but this is important: Have any other Samsung devices been released on Verizon locked, and then after launch were UNLOCKED? Or is this the absolute first time?


----------



## 00negative

00negative said:


> I wonder what Verizon is doing with these extra couple weeks versus other US carriers?
> 
> Adding some extra special bloat? *Trying to lock phone down better to prevent mods?* Or were they just the last US carrier to sign on to carry the phone so Samsung is filling their orders last?


Wow I actually called this one right in the pre-order thread last month. Ebay here comes a brand new un-opened Galaxy S 3, I will take the 500 profit and run.


----------



## papi92

Anyone try to flash a different bootloader? I mean we do have same hardware besides radios? Meaning only software difference is bloat and boot.img

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## mav3rick478

upgraded from a DX to this BS, screw you VZW! thanks for forcing my hand into upgrading just to keep my unlimited data!!!!


----------



## PhantomGamers

mav3rick478 said:


> upgraded from a DX to this BS, screw you VZW! thanks for forcing my hand into upgrading just to keep my unlimited data!!!!


i bet this was all intentional.
forcing us to upgrade for unlimited AND the bootloader being locked.... all intertwined.


----------



## wellsey1126

I use to have the Droid Charge. I cant remember if the bootloader was locked or unlocked

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## djj624

Man I hope I didn't make a mistake, I purposely waited for something newer than the nexus due to its signal issues and only a 5mp camera. first the flash counter and flash player and now this! Maybe I should have gotten the nexus, I could have walked right out of the store with one. I hope the devs still come to this phone.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## J_Dav1

I was gonna use my dads upgrade for it on Tuesday, but I may hold off now to see how this plays out. I really like the phone, from the little time I played with the att version at a store, but if I can't mod it I'm going to get a nexus instead.

Sent from my Transformer Prime TF201 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PhantomGamers

djj624 said:


> Man I hope I didn't make a mistake first the flash counter and now this! I hope the devs still come to this phone.
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


the flash counter isn't a problem at all, this also existed in the S2.


----------



## BeansTown106

this is fucking stupid sorry for language but wow! im pissed lets hope its an easy unlock.. if not unlocked within the first 14 days im probably just gonna return it and stick to my droid x(locked but usable) until another nexus comes out.. way to ruin all the fun i was planning on having! but the only downfall of being locked is we have to use thier kernel like the droid x? if thats soo than thats not to bad, devs can just learn how we do it moto style lol.. considering we have almost fully working ics on the dx,d2,d2g on the gingerbread kernel..


----------



## Morphinity

Took this from a Reddit post by "admiralteal":


> [background=rgb(247, 247, 248)]If it has a signed bootloader image without an open download mode, as it appears, you're fucked.[/background][background=rgb(247, 247, 248)]
> You can't crack a signed bootloader. You can partially bypass it in certain ways, or you can get the key and sign your own new bootloader. The former is an incomplete test (you aren't going to be able to swap out the kernel) and the latter is never going to happen.[/background][background=rgb(247, 247, 248)]
> This is like with Motorola phones, based on what I've seen. You'll need to use a bootstrapper, and then you will end up getting pale imitations of a real custom ROM.[/background]
> [background=rgb(247, 247, 248)]The only real hope here is that a USB jig and Odin will be able to make sense of all this. If not, this could prove to be an omen of a dark future with Samsung.[/background]


Fuck.


----------



## skatingrocker

PhantomGamers said:


> i bet this was all intentional.
> forcing us to upgrade for unlimited AND the bootloader being locked.... all intertwined.


I used my first upgrade since 2009 on this phone (I've been buying off contract phones) and now Verizon screws me with this?? That's so stupid. I just want the thing to be rooted so I can at least restore my Titanium apps.


----------



## wellsey1126

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BeansTown106

Morphinity said:


> Took this from a Reddit post by "admiralteal":
> 
> Fuck.










ughhhhh.. wtff samsung/verizon are u kidding me.. if i wanted to deal with this i woulda stayed with the dx or gotten a droid rzr.. like i said previously u have 14 days from when u get the phone to return it.. so hopefully something good happens in the next cpl weeks or mines going right back to verizon and im gonna grab the gnex or just say F'it and stick it out with the trusty droid x for a cpl more months til another nexus comes out! really upset about this!


----------



## kisypher

you definitely wouldn't have been disappointed in the nexus. jelly bean is butter on my Gnex. i'm still gonna grab me an S3 next week to play around with.



djj624 said:


> Man I hope I didn't make a mistake, I purposely waited for something newer than the nexus due to its signal issues and only a 5mp camera. first the flash counter and flash player and now this! Maybe I should have gotten the nexus, I could have walked right out of the store with one. I hope the devs still come to this phone.
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BeansTown106

wellsey1126 said:


> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


commented on ur comment lmao! so when they respond we can both flip on them!


----------



## wellsey1126

Blow there shit up

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## wellsey1126

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## hsomnus

ImaComputa said:


> Fucking wow. Is there anyway to cancel my preorder if it hasn't shipped yet or am I stuck with this bullshit?


Dude, its a Sammy device it will be unlocked!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## BeansTown106

hsomnus said:


> Dude, its a Sammy device it will be unlocked!
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


I just got off the phone with Samsung Level II tech support. Verizon requested the bootloader be signed and encrypted. They are the only carrier according to Samsung who made this request. The Level I tech I talked to had no clue so she transferred me to Level II who took about 10 minutes to research the issue and found a note in his system that specifically mentioned the Verizon signed/encrypted. 

That's about as official of a reply as I could get. I was told if I wanted an unencrypted device I should go get an AT&T, T-Mobile, or Sprint device NOT Verizon. That's exactly what the rep said.

Next call is back to Verizon Corporate. I just talked to them again yesterday. Another angry voice mail in route.

edit: just read this on xda^^^^^^


----------



## PhantomGamers

AKA it's EXACTLY like the bootloader on moto phones and we have ZERO chance of unlocking it


----------



## yarly

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1755594

discussion on it. linked the wrong thing earlier


----------



## mean sixteen

joemagistro said:


> im just gonna sit here and blame apple.. ITS ALL APPLES FAULT DAMMIT!!! lol


It really is Apple's fault you know...I think they believe they own the idea of locking phones down. Let's get them to sue Sammy for the 100th time and this baby will be unlocked in days.

Sent through mental telepathy...or my Gnex


----------



## Goose306

Basically, we have a really nice Moto device, UNLESS pressure gets put on them to open the BL. Its happened in the past, it can happen again. Not with Moto really mind you, but other OEMs have done so.

One the plus side, every single post on VZW's Facebook by anyone public is regarding the bootloader, all day.... its pretty funny actually, VZW keeps trying to drown it out with spam... keep it up folks. Just put in my part as well. Get on that bullshit and get on it fast. Lots of public pressure, real fast is the only way to get something like this reversed from the business side, otherwise we will have to rely on hacks.

As far as if its exactly like Moto phones... I don't think anyone knows yet. Moto's security is ridiculous. Sammy's might be a bit softer and more easily hacked.


----------



## Mustang302LX

Dang this phone just died to me, not that I was going to buy it anyways.


----------



## PhantomGamers

i plan on calling up verizon tomorrow and cancelling my preorder, then as soon as the nexus is available on the play store I will purchase that and go T-Mobile with their $30/month prepaid plan.


----------



## wellsey1126

I read something about verizon may be pushing an update to make the g3 global ready. Could that be why the bootloader is locked???

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## BeansTown106

wellsey1126 said:


> I read something about verizon may be pushing an update to make the g3 global ready. Could that be why the bootloader is locked???
> 
> Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


i mean that could be the reason.. never know.. they could just be locking it down til they get the full patch out.. then unlock it so ppl dont mess with it rom/kernel etc before the global patch hits.. probably me being way to optimistic about this but heyy anythings possible and it makes a lil sense


----------



## wellsey1126

BeansTown106 said:


> i mean that could be the reason.. never know.. they could just be locking it down til they get the full patch out.. then unlock it so ppl dont mess with it rom/kernel etc before the global patch hits.. probably me being way to optimistic about this but heyy anythings possible and it makes a lil sense


Im hoping... it would make sense they don't want anyone messing with the phone until the patch goes out.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


----------



## J_Dav1

I would so leave Verizon if I had anywhere to go. AT&T is the only other carrier with coverage here, but their network crashes on an almost daily basis.


----------



## Mustang302LX

Denial stage seems to be setting in now. VzW didn't lock the GNex and when it was released had an OTA waiting.


----------



## Kpa2727

I don't code really at all but mess with Adb from time to time and unlock all my phones. from incredible to ThunderBolt to my Galaxy Nexus. So take what I say loosely, I have seen people flip out then something like this update comes out and all is peachy so lets hope. As for the question about phones being locked. My incredible, Thunderbolt and Galaxy Nexus through verizon have all been locked out of th box. So the people screaming "zomg locked boot loader !" Even my nexus needed a root tool box. It's fairly simple, just need to give dev's time. from what i remember the phones not suppose to be avalible to the masses till july 12th or so. So of course there isn't much info yet. I give the phone 3 days after its intial release and you will see a unlocked device. P.S i been offered a S3 as a replacement for my Galaxy Nexus so yes I'm debating.


----------



## yarly

> My incredible, Thunderbolt and Galaxy Nexus through verizon have all been locked out of th box.


Thunderbolt had a root/unlock method before it even came out.

All Nexus phones come locked as a security precaution, including the ones google sells. Stating that the Nexus is locked is non-sequitur.

fastboot oem unlock, and voila, it's unlocked without any issue.


----------



## Mustang302LX

Kpa2727 said:


> I don't code really at all but mess with Adb from time to time and unlock all my phones. from incredible to ThunderBolt to my Galaxy Nexus. So take what I say loosely, I have seen people flip out then something like this update comes out and all is peachy so lets hope. As for the question about phones being locked. My incredible, Thunderbolt and Galaxy Nexus through verizon have all been locked out of th box. So the people screaming "zomg locked boot loader !" Even my nexus needed a root tool box. It's fairly simple, just need to give dev's time. from what i remember the phones not suppose to be avalible to the masses till july 12th or so. So of course there isn't much info yet. I give the phone 3 days after its intial release and you will see a unlocked device. P.S i been offered a S3 as a replacement for my Galaxy Nexus so yes I'm debating.


The Nexus came locked yes but NOT encrypted. They do that to protect the users who don't want a truly open device. The SGS3 is locked/encrypted meaning it's basically a moto device. Hold out hope that's fine but it might never happen. I'm not saying it never will but seems to not look to good right now.


----------



## exarkun

Kpa2727 said:


> I don't code really at all but mess with Adb from time to time and unlock all my phones. from incredible to ThunderBolt to my Galaxy Nexus. So take what I say loosely, I have seen people flip out then something like this update comes out and all is peachy so lets hope. As for the question about phones being locked. My incredible, Thunderbolt and Galaxy Nexus through verizon have all been locked out of th box. So the people screaming "zomg locked boot loader !" Even my nexus needed a root tool box. It's fairly simple, just need to give dev's time. from what i remember the phones not suppose to be avalible to the masses till july 12th or so. So of course there isn't much info yet. I give the phone 3 days after its intial release and you will see a unlocked device. P.S i been offered a S3 as a replacement for my Galaxy Nexus so yes I'm debating.


The galaxy nexus did not have a signed boot loader.


----------



## Kpa2727

Fair enough, i guess I didn't understand the encryption part. Aren't Gsm and Cdma like Verizon 2 different beasts boot loader and junk wise? so who's to say the root methods are the same. I tend to see that happen frequently too. old methods tried on new software. like why would a OEM unlock for GSM work on CDMA don't they always have 2 seperate unlocks? or are we just treating it on a strictly chipset hardware encryption level ?


----------



## yarly

> Fair enough, i guess I ddn't understand the encryption part. Aren't Gsm and Cdma like Verizon 2 different beasts boot loader and junk wise?


Nope, they function the same. You can even flash the same kernel on both. Differences are in the user land and only slight changes are needed to make a ROM for one or the other. Real difference between the two is the modems for communication and the radio software you flash in the bootloader. Random funfact, I am nearly certain that the Galaxy Nexus and the International Galaxy S2 shared the same bootloader software. Mainly on the basis that I found jpeg images in the Nexus bootloader that were only meant for the Galaxy S2 International Version.



> so who's to say the root methods are the same.


I am, I own one










All Nexus devices are unlocked in the same way.


----------



## Kpa2727

yarly said:


> Nope, they function the same.
> 
> I am, I own one
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All Nexus devices are unlocked in the same way.


but S3 isn't a Nexus. So technically wouldn't it more likely be locked down then.


----------



## Mustang302LX

Kpa2727 said:


> but S3 isn't a Nexus. So technically wouldn't it more likely be locked down then.


Yes but there's a difference between locked bootloader and an encrypted bootloader. Talk to a moto user.


----------



## yarly

Kpa2727 said:


> but S3 isn't a Nexus. So technically wouldn't it more likely be locked down then.


I have no idea what you are getting at. You are jumping around on topics left and right and bringing up all sorts of points that go nowhere. I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but I'm not into discussions that go into begging the question (circular reasoning).

Anyways, no other S3 other than the Verizon one has the issues that the Verizon version is having to gain root and unlock. End of story.


----------



## Kpa2727

I know many but i think i'm putting it all together in my head. Droid X and Incedible days with thier E-Fuse debacle i remember. It's been 3 phone generations since I had to worry about such a thing. I'm a bit rusty.


----------



## Kpa2727

yarly said:


> I have no idea what you are getting at. You are jumping around on topics left and right and bringing up all sorts of points that go nowhere.
> 
> Anyways, no other S3 other than the Verizon one has the issues that the Verizon version is having to gain root and unlock. End of story.


I'm just trying to piece it all together in a brain storming way, like talking out loud. not trying to offend anyone I just learn differently.


----------



## bretth18

I am about to do this 



 to my local VZW store....

Droid X Round 2 here I come!


----------



## Goose306

Mustang302LX said:


> Yes but there's a difference between locked bootloader and an encrypted bootloader. Talk to a moto user.


^^^ This, x1000

If you've never used a Moto phone before, its crap. Not the phones themselves, Moto actually builds a pretty solid phone. But if you like rooting and ROMing its crap. We can get hacks working to get AOSP and other fun stuff loaded like ICS, but it scares off development due to being a metric-buttload more work and pain in the ass. It also stops us from potenially doing other things such as making pre-rooted ODIN files, obtaining root, flashing custom kernels, flashing custom recoveries!!! and more.

Moto phones work this way (at least the older ones like the DX, this is what I'm familiar with) :

The MBM (Motorola Boot Manager) handles all processes at boot. Some items are checked every boot, some are just on initial boot. All these items are checked against the signatures found in the CDT/MEM_MAP. This is encrypted with 2048-bit RSA security, and cannot be extracted. The two major items that have a signature check every boot on Moto phones that causes the most pain in all users are a) kernel







recovery. No custom recoveries can be flashed properly through the MBM, it requires a bootstrapper hack to get CWM up and running. This also means other things like you can't access recovery from the bootloader (equivalent to download mode here) so if you brick you have to use leaked factory programs and files which aren't always available. It also means NO custom kernels, with signature key kernel signature check fails and it will not boot.

What this means for the VZW GSIII is unknown. We do not know which signatures are checked every boot, first boot, or at all. We may be able to get root and recovery eventually via a different process and be fine, it may just end up being we don't use the same route as everyone else. Worst case scenario, everyone ends up with a real fancy Moto phone effectively. Best case scenario, VZW gets pressured into unlocking it. Their FB page is going insane, I'm loving it quite a bit.

After loving but getting tired of Moto's crap on my DX over the last two years, this makes me quite sad. I can find myself pretty useful in hacking shit apart (pulling kernels/CDTs out of factory images and SBFs, etc) but I was looking forward a lot more to leaving this shit behind me as well. Here's hoping.


----------



## ImaComputa

I almost want to just sell my phone and not renew my contract. Seriously. Cell phones shouldn't be this fucking complicated. We have to deal with the shit headed telcos on land lines but atleast you own and have control over your access device (computer). With cell phones it's like arm wrestling and playing fucking dodgeball at the same time with them. In a normal, competitive, free market stuff like this doesn't happen but look what an oligopoly gives us. Fuck it.


----------



## Kpa2727

Goose306 said:


> ^^^ This, x1000
> 
> If you've never used a Moto phone before, its crap. Not the phones themselves, Moto actually builds a pretty solid phone. But if you like rooting and ROMing its crap. We can get hacks working to get AOSP and other fun stuff loaded like ICS, but it scares off development due to being a metric-buttload more work and pain in the ass. It also stops us from potenially doing other things such as making pre-rooted ODIN files, obtaining root, flashing custom kernels, flashing custom recoveries!!! and more.
> 
> Moto phones work this way (at least the older ones like the DX, this is what I'm familiar with) :
> 
> The MBM (Motorola Boot Manager) handles all processes at boot. Some items are checked every boot, some are just on initial boot. All these items are checked against the signatures found in the CDT/MEM_MAP. This is encrypted with 2048-bit RSA security, and cannot be extracted. The two major items that have a signature check every boot on Moto phones that causes the most pain in all users are a) kernel
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> recovery. No custom recoveries can be flashed properly through the MBM, it requires a bootstrapper hack to get CWM up and running. This also means other things like you can't access recovery from the bootloader (equivalent to download mode here) so if you brick you have to use leaked factory programs and files which aren't always available. It also means NO custom kernels, with signature key kernel signature check fails and it will not boot.
> 
> What this means for the VZW GSIII is unknown. We do not know which signatures are checked every boot, first boot, or at all. We may be able to get root and recovery eventually via a different process and be fine, it may just end up being we don't use the same route as everyone else. Worst case scenario, everyone ends up with a real fancy Moto phone effectively. Best case scenario, VZW gets pressured into unlocking it. Their FB page is going insane, I'm loving it quite a bit.
> 
> After loving but getting tired of Moto's crap on my DX over the last two years, this makes me quite sad. I can find myself pretty useful in hacking shit apart (pulling kernels/CDTs out of factory images and SBFs, etc) but I was looking forward a lot more to leaving this shit behind me as well. Here's hoping.


That makes alot more sense to me , i think i remember moto droid x also giving a bootloader warning on the X if a check failed. I remember at my job, a shorted out x2 giving false boot loader errors after getting wet. It would fail a crc check or some odd error it report. I remember simular errors when people tried unlocking things in Droid X launch days. Ok back to S3 topic. Question for you guys, if offered a free S3 but you have to give in your Nexus to get it on verizon would you after finding out about this boot loader issue?


----------



## BeansTown106

anyway u look at this at the moment it sucks plain and simple.. http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/verizon-bootloader-petition/ sign the petition we better have a cpl thousand signatures by tomorrow post on fb, twitter everywhere have all ur friends sign it who cares it takes 3 seconds and is worth the try..


----------



## bamaredwingsfan

mean sixteen said:


> It really is Apple's fault you know...I think they believe they own the idea of locking phones down. Let's get them to sue Sammy for the 100th time and this baby will be unlocked in days.
> 
> Sent through mental telepathy...or my Gnex


I actually think that part of this is inspired by apple for the simple reason of when they go to court, an sue the builder of the phone, there has to be a way to keep everyone's phone in a state of easy access so features can be removed or changed. Kind of like on XBL if you have a game that has a new software update for it, you can't get on XBL until said update is applied. If your rooted an running custom roms, then your basically saying screw the legal process as far as the patent wars goes. I think the reason VZ did this is to keep their nose clean with apple, incase apple decided to sue the carriers for allowing phones that violate their patents.


----------



## Goose306

BeansTown106 said:


> anyway u look at this at the moment it sucks plain and simple.. http://www.ipetition...oader-petition/ sign the petition we better have a cpl thousand signatures by tomorrow post on fb, twitter everywhere have all ur friends sign it who cares it takes 3 seconds and is worth the try..


Personally I find petitions a bit worthless unless you get a few mil. to sign it. Even then companies don't take internet petitions really.

However, smear their social networking sites 24/7 for a few days, they WILL start to notice. It needs to be Sammy and VZW, get pressure going from both sides. I noticed Verizon's Facebook account having 3/4 of the posts be about the bootloader, keep it up I say till something different happens.


----------



## mike86325

Goose306 said:


> Personally I find petitions a bit worthless unless you get a few mil. to sign it. Even then companies don't take internet petitions really.
> 
> However, smear their social networking sites 24/7 for a few days, they WILL start to notice. It needs to be Sammy and VZW, get pressure going from both sides. I noticed Verizon's Facebook account having 3/4 of the posts be about the bootloader, keep it up I say till something different happens.


Agreed.. and yup, I have already started posting on their page. Bad press for them will make them notice


----------



## SYL

You guys do know the bootloader has been cracked already right? Don't cancel those pre orders!









EDIT: unless I'm mistaken and a custom recovery doesn't mean an unlocked bootloader?

http://rootzwiki.com/index.php?/topic/29256-[ROOT]-[RECOVERY]-SCH-I535-(Verizon-Galaxy-S-III)


----------



## mike86325

SYL said:


> You guys do know the bootloader has been cracked already right? Don't cancel those pre orders!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://rootzwiki.com...p?/topic/29256-[ROOT]-[RECOVERY]-SCH-I535-(Verizon-Galaxy-S-III)


It's just root and recovery.. the bootloader is still locked up. Look at the Droid X (my current phone), it has root/recovery, but still cannot do everything since the bootloader was never figured out. That was released 2 years ago. In fact, I don't think any encrypted bootloader has been unlocked to this day.


----------



## SYL

mike86325 said:


> It's just root and recovery.. the bootloader is still locked up. Look at the Droid X (my current phone), it has root/recovery, but still cannot do everything since the bootloader was never figured out. That was released 2 years ago. In fact, I don't think any encrypted bootloader has been unlocked to this day.


k, I thought they meant they replaced the stock recovery... yea, my DX has stock and CWR... not what I'm looking for







Not paying any money till I'm sure the kernel can be replaced


----------



## junjlo

its a sad day for android i finally got duped into a phone that was broken by design. This is why i stayed safe and stuck to HTC I feel betrayed by VZW and Samsung and this isn't the first time Ive been burned by Sammy. The galaxy tab 7 was a joke thank god we had JT working on ICS because it just wasn't a tablet without it. I had high hopes for SGS 3 and now I'm thinking of trading and getting the HTC Dinc 4g LTE. Ill take less power over a locked boot loader any day i hate touch wiz it looks like crap i want a pure ICS/Jelly bean experience to enjoy my phone the way i want to enjoy it not how VZW wants me to enjoy it.

To sum up what im saying in short is if i wanted an iPhone i would have bought an iPhone.


----------



## OMJ

junjlo said:


> its a sad day for android i finally got duped into a phone that was broken by design. This is why i stayed safe and stuck to HTC I feel betrayed by VZW and Samsung and this isn't the first time Ive been burned by Sammy. The galaxy tab 7 was a joke thank god we had JT working on ICS because it just wasn't a tablet without it. I had high hopes for SGS 3 and now I'm thinking of trading and getting the HTC Dinc 4g LTE. Ill take less power over a locked boot loader any day i hate touch wiz it looks like crap i want a pure ICS/Jelly bean experience to enjoy my phone the way i want to enjoy it not how VZW wants me to enjoy it.
> 
> To sum up what im saying in short is if i wanted an iPhone i would have bought an iPhone.


Umm inc lte has a locked bootloader like all HTC devices and will likely take some time to get unlocked. This phone already has recovery.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## erron

A locked bootloader does not mean an encrypted bootloader. Give the device more than two days and limited availability. An exploit will be found unless it's a chipset based encryption like Moto uses, which I highly doubt. That would mean an entirely different chipset for the Verizon variant. If it comes down to it someone will break this device apart and look. But it won't realy be needed. This will be fixed in short order.

Keep calm and carry on.


----------



## Jubakuba

I feel so bad for my mom right now...
I was toting Jelly Bean in her face like "LULZ, LOOK. Oh, your phone is going to have ICS when it ships? [A phone I practically forced her into buying] I have Jelly-Goddamn-Bean! LUL, loser."
She says:
"Did I get the wrong phone? Was this a bad decision







?"
I literally saw her face drop...she was pretty sad.

I immediately realized that I hurt her feelings and jumped:
"No no no! The SIII has an unlockable bootloader. That means I can put you on Jelly Bean pretty much immediately after the source drops. Even the version I'm running is a bit buggy...it's not like...the full version [explaining it in non-tech-savvy-lingo]. I'm just messing with you, you made a great decision. You're going to absolutely love it!"

Ugh...


----------



## ikithme

Yep cancelled my order. Will stick with GNex until the s3 loader gets fixed or another phone comes along.


----------



## trendsetter37

ikithme said:


> Yep cancelled my order. Will stick with GNex until the s3 loader gets fixed or another phone comes along.


Um didn't you have unlimited data? It's not that big of a deal. There really hasn't been a flagship phone that wasn't cracked. As of late anyways.

Sent from my trusty thunderbolt


----------



## ikithme

trendsetter37 said:


> Um didn't you have unlimited data? It's not that big of a deal. There really hasn't been a flagship phone that wasn't cracked. As of late anyways.
> 
> Sent from my trusty thunderbolt


Was using my girlfriends upgrade and shes already tiered, shouldn't affect me.

Yeah just went through to attempt a pre order again, it didn't require me to change the main lines unlimited data plan.


----------



## cordell

Jubakuba said:


> . I'm just messing with you, you made a great decision. You're going to absolutely love it!"
> 
> Ugh...


You do realize the source will be for the Nexus devices, a totally different chip set. AOSP JellyBean can not be built with that source for the S3. It will take a while to get it running on the S3. With CDMA these things don't happen as fast as GSM devices. Hopefully I am wrong here and it will be much faster than I am thinking .

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## junjlo

OMJ said:


> Umm inc lte has a locked bootloader like all HTC devices and will likely take some time to get unlocked. This phone already has recovery.
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


Fair enough but it will become unlocked and i don't think its encrypted like Samsung i could be wrong on this of course.


----------



## Jubakuba

cordell said:


> You do realize the source will be for the Nexus devices, a totally different chip set. AOSP JellyBean can not be built with that source for the S3. It will take a while to get it running on the S3. With CDMA these things don't happen as fast as GSM devices. Hopefully I am wrong here and it will be much faster than I am thinking .
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


I very much realize this, yes.
Carefully embellishing the truth for my mother's sake in the tech world is what keeps her happy.
This is the same woman, after all, who for OVER A YEAR had a Droid X that she couldn't answer.
You know why?
I was sitting next to her (completely used to the "call her...wait for a return call" operation we had going) showing her something...I don't remember what...on my Droid X. I told her to answer the call.
She taps the slider.
"Mom...answer the call."
She taps it again.
"Holy shit...wow...this...this is an epiphany that I'm having here...but, uh...you slide to answer calls. Slide it to the right, mom."
She answers the call successfully.
"Jesus Christ mom...you're a real tough case to crack, you know that?"


----------



## OMJ

junjlo said:


> Fair enough but it will become unlocked and i don't think its encrypted like Samsung i could be wrong on this of course.


Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki

Umm this phone isnt encrypted. If it was you couldn't flash custom recovery via adb.


----------



## OMJ

There's a chance kernels are encrypted but the fact that you can't flash them in Odin doesn't prove that at all

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RootzWiki


----------



## mutualexcrement

BYAH! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756885


----------



## headcheese

mutualexcrement said:


> BYAH! http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1756885


Yes!!!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ikithme

mutualexcrement said:


> Yes!!!
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


Recovery does NOT mean custom kernel! Droid X, Droid X 2, Droid Bionic, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx ALL have custom recoveries but do not have custom kernels.


----------



## junjlo

Mustang302LX said:


> The Nexus came locked yes but NOT encrypted. They do that to protect the users who don't want a truly open device. The SGS3 is locked/encrypted meaning it's basically a moto device. Hold out hope that's fine but it might never happen. I'm not saying it never will but seems to not look to good right now.


i got my idea from this but i hope he's wrong too


----------



## Goose306

mike86325 said:


> It's just root and recovery.. the bootloader is still locked up. Look at the Droid X (my current phone), it has root/recovery, but still cannot do everything since the bootloader was never figured out. That was released 2 years ago. In fact, I don't think any encrypted bootloader has been unlocked to this day.


This is NOT the same as DX root and recovery. This is a proper, replace stock recovery, if you notice they are writing recovery.img to the phone.

This is very, very good news. It means even if the BL is encrypted there is no signature check on the recovery (also the /system partition). This means Sammy left a yawning wide open hole on the phone. Once you can get proper custom recovery and root that is a big part of the way to where we need to go. At this point it has just been shown that kernels fail signature check. (Amd this via ODIN, nobody has tried via CWM yet AFAIK) We don't know at this point what is/isn't encrypted, but a proper recovery is a big step. Moto phones use a bootstrapper to bypass the signature checks on the stock recovery that's a bit janky. This is not a situation like that.

Sent from my liquified DX


----------



## headcheese

ikithme said:


> Recovery does NOT mean custom kernel! Droid X, Droid X 2, Droid Bionic, Droid Razr, Droid Razr Maxx ALL have custom recoveries but do not have custom kernels.


Haters gonna hate

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ikithme

headcheese said:


> Haters gonna hate
> 
> Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


Facts gonna fact <3.


----------



## shrike1978

JRJ442 said:


> Wasn't GNex locked too? I'm pretty sure most Samsung phones come locked in the first place. U just have to unlock them like we did for the Nexus. I could be wrong. I haven't actually read the article. Is it locked and encrypted like Motorola phones?


Only the GNex was locked, and it was easy to unlock. Previous Samsung phones have been completely open, and all non VZW SGS3 variants are fully unlocked. It's just VZW doing this and Samsung caving to get the phone on that network.

Sent from my GT-P1010 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## acras

Glad to see things are moving forward , despite verizons best efforts . Just a thought , but maybe we can flood the FCC with complaints because it seems that the reason V is enabling global capabilities on their lte phones is because the FCC made regulations that forbid licensee from limiting or restricting devices.

*Title 47: Telecommunication*
PART 27-MISCELLANEOUS WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
Subpart B-Applications and Licenses 
Browse Previous | Browse Next
* § 27.16 Network access requirements for Block C in the 746-757 and 776-787 MHz bands.*

(a) _Applicability. _This section shall apply only to the authorizations for Block C in the 746-757 and 776-787 MHz bands assigned and only if the results of the first auction in which licenses for such authorizations are offered satisfied the applicable reserve price.
(







_Use of devices and applications. _Licensees offering service on spectrum subject to this section shall not deny, limit, or restrict the ability of their customers to use the devices and applications of their choice on the licensee's C Block network, except:
(1) Insofar as such use would not be compliant with published technical standards reasonably necessary for the management or protection of the licensee's network, or
(2) As required to comply with statute or applicable government regulation.
(c) _Technical standards. _For purposes of paragraph (







(1) of this section:
(1) Standards shall include technical requirements reasonably necessary for third parties to access a licensee's network via devices or applications without causing objectionable interference to other spectrum users or jeopardizing network security. The potential for excessive bandwidth demand alone shall not constitute grounds for denying, limiting or restricting access to the network.
(2) To the extent a licensee relies on standards established by an independent standards-setting body which is open to participation by representatives of service providers, equipment manufacturers, application developers, consumer organizations, and other interested parties, the standards will carry a presumption of reasonableness.
(3) A licensee shall publish its technical standards, which shall be non-proprietary, no later than the time at which it makes such standards available to any preferred vendors, so that the standards are readily available to customers, equipment manufacturers, application developers, and other parties interested in using or developing products for use on a licensee's networks.
(d) _Access requests. _(1) Licensees shall establish and publish clear and reasonable procedures for parties to seek approval to use devices or applications on the licensees' networks. A licensee must also provide to potential customers notice of the customers' rights to request the attachment of a device or application to the licensee's network, and notice of the licensee's process for customers to make such requests, including the relevant network criteria.
(2) If a licensee determines that a request for access would violate its technical standards or regulatory requirements, the licensee shall expeditiously provide a written response to the requester specifying the basis for denying access and providing an opportunity for the requester to modify its request to satisfy the licensee's concerns.
(e) _Handset locking prohibited. _No licensee may disable features on handsets it provides to customers, to the extent such features are compliant with the licensee's standards pursuant to paragraph (b)of this section, nor configure handsets it provides to prohibit use of such handsets on other providers' networks.
(f) _Burden of proof. _Once a complainant sets forth a prima facie case that the C Block licensee has refused to attach a device or application in violation of the requirements adopted in this section, the licensee shall have the burden of proof to demonstrate that it has adopted reasonable network standards and reasonably applied those standards in the complainant's case. Where the licensee bases its network restrictions on industry-wide consensus standards, such restrictions would be presumed reasonable.
[72 FR 48849, Aug. 24, 2007]


----------



## Arachnidus

The fact that the phone isn't even out yet and still Verizon fails to stop the modding community from cracking their bullshit restrictions is a testament to just how bad they are at their jobs, and how good the community is at theirs. Haven't they learned by now that locking phones down does absolutely nothing?


----------



## J_Dav1

From what I have read they are going to exploit something to bypass the signature check since some partitions are unsigned and can be accessed. Thank goodness Sammy left some holes open.


----------



## Goose306

J_Dav1 said:


> From what I have read they are going to exploit something to bypass the signature check since some partitions are unsigned and can be accessed. Thank goodness Sammy left some holes open.


They already have, that's how CWM got on there.


----------



## nars

J_Dav1 said:


> From what I have read they are going to exploit something to bypass the signature check since some partitions are unsigned and can be accessed. Thank goodness Sammy left some holes open.


I've been keeping up with XDA as well, and hope this to be true. If it isn't then I am going to go back within the grace period to exchange it for a galaxy nexus.

[Then I will cringe when I find out that the dev community figure a way through Verizon's bullshit]

Rofl. That's how life is I guess.


----------



## PhantomGamers

I just called Verizon and one of their guys assured me it was unlocked. He also assured me it hasn't even been released in US yet so NO ONE has it (trollface).
For shits and giggles I'm going to use it for the 14 days and see if any progress is made, if not I'm going to send it back and get the Nexus.

Originally I was going to cancel it right away, but with the Nexus not even being available from Google right now what the heck?


----------



## Goose306

PhantomGamers said:


> I just called Verizon and one of their guys assured me it was unlocked. He also assured me it hasn't even been released in US yet so NO ONE has it (trollface).
> For shits and giggles I'm going to use it for the 14 days and see if any progress is made, if not I'm going to send it back and get the Nexus.
> 
> Originally I was going to cancel it right away, but with the Nexus not even being available from Google right now what the heck?


Nexus is re-available, the ban on sales was lifted temporarily. Might be a bit till it shows back up in the store though.

and FYI, check the VZW Root thread in development. There is something that might put a smile on your face.


----------



## BeansTown106

PhantomGamers said:


> I just called Verizon and one of their guys assured me it was unlocked. He also assured me it hasn't even been released in US yet so NO ONE has it (trollface).
> For shits and giggles I'm going to use it for the 14 days and see if any progress is made, if not I'm going to send it back and get the Nexus.
> 
> Originally I was going to cancel it right away, but with the Nexus not even being available from Google right now what the heck?


lol well they flashed a kernel via a crazy method like i said we should be good and we got this much progress in less than 12 hrs lol! why were we stressing at all


----------



## BeansTown106

Goose306 said:


> Nexus is re-available, the ban on sales was lifted temporarily. Might be a bit till it shows back up in the store though.
> 
> and FYI, check the VZW Root thread in development. There is something that might put a smile on your face.


nice to see u in here also goose! always looked forward to ur comments on the dx threads! lol


----------



## Goose306

BeansTown106 said:


> lol well they flashed a kernel via a crazy method like i said we should be good and we got this much progress in less than 12 hrs lol! why were we stressing at all


I was also quite shocked to see that... in a way. It puts a smile on my face though.

A security hole that gaping large on an encrypted bootloader? Who do you think left it? LOL. My bets are on Sammy. Telling VZW the phone was locked and proved it by having them try to flash in ODIN, but leaving a big old hole for the hacker community to slide through. I mean, this is the first Sammy phone in the world that's been locked right? That's foolish.

Now, if it was a VZW employee that slipped up, someone's getting canned today, haha.


----------



## BeansTown106

Goose306 said:


> I was also quite shocked to see that... in a way. It puts a smile on my face though.
> 
> A security hole that gaping large on an encrypted bootloader? Who do you think left it? LOL. My bets are on Sammy. Telling VZW the phone was locked and proved it by having them try to flash in ODIN, but leaving a big old hole for the hacker community to slide through. I mean, this is the first Sammy phone in the world that's been locked right? That's foolish.
> 
> Now, if it was a VZW employee that slipped up, someone's getting canned today, haha.


lol it was obviously sammy, and im not even stressing anymore about this with the progress we've seen in less than 12hrs.. go sammy n go devs!! lol ps- couldnt they just flash sprints bootloader? u could flash bootloaders on the x so y not on this lol, bring it up over on xda i would but am heading off to work in like 5 mins, ps all moto miui's are done and gonna be posted when i get out of work, didnt have time to test and ftp but dx one is working fine incase u want to pass that on to the moto forums lol


----------



## Hobart

Wow...what a kinda relief....thanks goose for helping me and the rest of us understand the progress and what it all means...I might still get one after all

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## jhanford

Wow, just had a double-take.

I swear I just saw goose, beans and Hobart talking on a VZW SGS3 thread.


----------



## erron

Here's an update:
phone can boot from unsigned boot.img flashed to recovery partition, this will leave you without recovery and requires to boot-trough-recovery every time u rebooting phone! (thanx invisiblek)
Links: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...9&postcount=47 , http://pastebin.com/eARk7r48

It's not an encrypted bootloader. It's locked.


----------



## Hobart

jhanford said:


> Wow, just had a double-take.
> 
> I swear I just saw goose, beans and Hobart talking on a VZW SGS3 thread.


Yup! Very interested on how this is all gonna work out...lol

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## juicy

erron said:


> Here's an update:
> phone can boot from unsigned boot.img flashed to recovery partition, this will leave you without recovery and requires to boot-trough-recovery every time u rebooting phone! (thanx invisiblek)
> Links: http://forum.xda-developers.com/show...9&postcount=47 , http://pastebin.com/eARk7r48
> 
> It's not an encrypted bootloader. It's locked.


Hell yes


----------



## BeansTown106

Hobart said:


> Yup! Very interested on how this is all gonna work out...lol
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


yup lmao were all here plus more time for a.new phone.


----------



## headcheese

Glad to see invisiblek's name. I used his kernels a few years back!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2


----------



## acras

I'm curious , is this exploit going to be shut down by verizon in an update , say , when they enable global ? .621 update on the X shut down previous methods of root and I would imagine that V will be looking to do the same thing with the s3 if they have any say (which they do) . I'm worried that this will end up being a cat and mouse game with someone finding an exploit , then V closing the hole , loose root if you update , taking longer and longer to find a new exploit .
I really want to stay excited about this phone , I just played with one at TMO when I was checking about their prepaid , and I really liked the s3 for the 10 min I was playing with it. I also found that I am happy that I decided on the white instead of the blue.


----------



## simonbarsinistr

acras said:


> I'm curious , is this exploit going to be shut down by verizon in an update , say , when they enable global ? .621 update on the X shut down previous methods of root and I would imagine that V will be looking to do the same thing with the s3 if they have any say (which they do) . I'm worried that this will end up being a cat and mouse game with someone finding an exploit , then V closing the hole , loose root if you update , taking longer and longer to find a new exploit .
> I really want to stay excited about this phone , I just played with one at TMO when I was checking about their prepaid , and I really liked the s3 for the 10 min I was playing with it. I also found that I am happy that I decided on the white instead of the blue.


If they can enable a real work around for the boot loader, I don't think you will ever need a vzw update. You should be able to flash recoveries, roms, kernels, radios and whatever else you need.

We had to take updates on the dx for the radios, since we had no other way to upgrade. But with unlocked phones like the nexus, all we need are awesome devs that extract what we need and make flashable zips for us to crack flash.

Sent from my bionic unicorn


----------



## fanboy1974

I wish Verizon can say outright if these things are bootloader locked before buying. I almost pre-ordered but I got the Nexus 7 instead. I would have been pissed because I went through that same lock down crap with the Droid X. Sure you had custom roms but you were never in complete control; always had these goofy workarounds.


----------



## galaxyman4g

Go to youtube droidmodderx has videos on this phone galaxys3 go check it out he show how to root it and to do recovery

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## acras

simonbarsinistr said:


> If they can enable a real work around for the boot loader, I don't think you will ever need a vzw update. You should be able to flash recoveries, roms, kernels, radios and whatever else you need.
> 
> We had to take updates on the dx for the radios, since we had no other way to upgrade. But with unlocked phones like the nexus, all we need are awesome devs that extract what we need and make flashable zips for us to crack flash.
> 
> Sent from my bionic unicorn


But since the verizon version is carrier locked don't they control a certain element of the updates on the radio or kernel side? I am by no means an expert on all of this (like I need to say that) , but isn't that why the CDMA Galaxy Nexus was removed from googles list of official Nexus devices ? I thought I remembered something in the press release about Verison owning rights to certain code or something that google didn't have rights to , I would imagine that would effect getting all the updates from sammy too , Verizon will only allow the update to go out with what they want in it . Google has posted an update explaining that, "for various technical reasons" CDMA telephony is handled by binaries provided by the carrier in newer devices. The result is different signatures being associated with those APKs than a pure AOSP builds and, thus, those essential components don't function properly.

Edit: heres what I saw , and please explain if I'm incorrect still trying to learn. From Engadget ;
Google has posted an update explaining that, "for various technical reasons" CDMA telephony is handled by binaries provided by the carrier in newer devices. The result is different signatures being associated with those APKs than a pure AOSP builds and, thus, those essential components don't function properly.

Google explained the disappearance by saying "we aim to make sure that we are as clear as possible about the degree of support that devices have," before going on to promise all Nexus devices would continue to have unlockable bootloaders and that as many of the closed-source binaries as possible would be made available. For the complete statement hit up the source link.


----------



## BeansTown106

acras said:


> I wish Verizon can say outright if these things are bootloader locked before buying. I almost pre-ordered but I got the Nexus 7 instead. I would have been pissed because I went through that same lock down crap with the Droid X. Sure you had custom roms but you were never in complete control; always had these goofy workarounds.


the droid x is arleady beaten 10x over by this device first of all we on the dx dont have a real recovery this device does when rooted it goes ontop of factory recovery dx just has a bootstrap.. with the real recovery still there, and in no way were we able to add the boot.img to the recovery,img for custom kernels.. this device will take some work but will get to the point we all want it sooner than later imho


----------



## simonbarsinistr

acras said:


> But since the verizon version is carrier locked don't they control a certain element of the updates on the radio or kernel side? I am by no means an expert on all of this (like I need to say that) , but isn't that why the CDMA Galaxy Nexus was removed from googles list of official Nexus devices ? I thought I remembered something in the press release about Verison owning rights to certain code or something that google didn't have rights to , I would imagine that would effect getting all the updates from sammy too , Verizon will only allow the update to go out with what they want in it . Google has posted an update explaining that, "for various technical reasons" CDMA telephony is handled by binaries provided by the carrier in newer devices. The result is different signatures being associated with those APKs than a pure AOSP builds and, thus, those essential components don't function properly.


The Verizon gnex is updated thru verizon and not Google. Hence the ridiculous wait for the 4.0.4 update. However that only limits non rooted users. For us who have superuser access, we can flash all we need without going through verizon. All we need is radios, and they can be extracted from official releases, or leaks.

If the S3's locked bootloader can be defeated, then the same will apply to it. The only difference being rooting the gnex originally was as simple as fastboot and adb commands. The S3 will need Odin and some trickery for the initial root. Hopefully after that everything can be done in recovery, unless you brick.

Tapped from my unicorn'd Gnex


----------



## acras

simonbarsinistr said:


> The Verizon gnex is updated thru verizon and not Google. Hence the ridiculous wait for the 4.0.4 update. However that only limits non rooted users. For us who have superuser access, we can flash all we need without going through verizon. All we need is radios, and they can be extracted from official releases, or leaks.
> 
> If the S3's locked bootloader can be defeated, then the same will apply to it. The only difference being rooting the gnex originally was as simple as fastboot and adb commands. The S3 will need Odin and some trickery for the initial root. Hopefully after that everything can be done in recovery, unless you brick.
> 
> Tapped from my unicorn'd Gnex


So the binaries that V has to provide to Sammy for future updates can be extracted from the updates , seperate from any encription or new lockdown method that V may try ? Am I right in assuming that those binaries directly affect the radios for CDMA? Will there be potential for the software updates that Devs will be trying to extract these from to be a PITA to break , progressively harder to do , or is this device harder than other variants because of the locked (assumed) bootloader , and not really a software issue . Thank you for taking the time to give such helpful information , I hope I'm not taking too much advantage of your hospitality.


----------



## simonbarsinistr

acras said:


> So the binaries that V has to provide to Sammy for future updates can be extracted from the updates , seperate from any encription or new lockdown method that V may try ? Am I right in assuming that those binaries directly affect the radios for CDMA? Will there be potential for the software updates that Devs will be trying to extract these from to be a PITA to break , progressively harder to do , or is this device harder than other variants because of the locked (assumed) bootloader , and not really a software issue . Thank you for taking the time to give such helpful information , I hope I'm not taking too much advantage of your hospitality.


The difficulty of extracting the radio software is something that I really don't know much about. But if I'm correct, everything else for the phone can be built from source, and won't need to be taken from Verizon updates.

Great progress has been made already, so things aren't looking too bleak.

Sent from my bionic unicorn


----------



## acras

simonbarsinistr said:


> The difficulty of extracting the radio software is something that I really don't know much about. But if I'm correct, everything else for the phone can be built from source, and won't need to be taken from Verizon updates.
> 
> Great progress has been made already, so things aren't looking too bleak.
> 
> Sent from my bionic unicorn


 Again , thank you for the patience . I guess the crux of my question is what exactly do the binaries that V must supply to anyone building for CDMA devices control . If those binaries are required for all the things we would need to update the s3 , then they would be able to require Sammy to continue to encript the software in new and creative ways , or V can encript the binaries prior to release to Sammy , and if they are necessary for any of the things we would want or need , then the sourse would be effectivly lokced down as well. I know that someone would be able to break it eventually , but it would slow everything down on the CDMA version compared to everyone else . I still think that is the reason Google has removed CDMA devices from their list of supported nexus devices , google requires all nexus devices to be totally open , and Verizon requires security and/or encription for the required binaries.


----------



## BeansTown106

could be a good chance we can use our old trusty "bootmenu" from the droid x and modify it in a way that we modify hijack to pull the bootmenu and then bootmenu would have options for reboot to cwm reboot to normal kernel and reboot to modified kernel.. if stock it would just continue boot if cwm or custom kernel it would flash that selection to recovery partition and reboot to recovery partition making u either boot to cwm or to ur custom kernel.. also it would have a default setting option for u to choose wether it be custom or normal kernel so u dont always have to use it while booting.. this is just me and wizard0f0s brainstorming but to me it makes perfect sense.. now i just need my phone to come in so i can play guinny pig on this whole thing

basically between this and the possibility of kexec working too we have options and im pretty much sure at this point we will be flashing custom kernels.. slim slim chance we wont be but imho way higher of a chance of a workaround


----------



## gearsofwar

Verizon just sucks! If it wasn't for the nexus seriously.

I'm buying an s3 but going for another carrier. I'll just eat the cancellation fees and sell my nexus to supplement the fees

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## erron

Taken from XDA and not made by me:

Here's a trivially modified version of the bootloader (aboot). I simply modified some insignificant EXIF data ("Adobe Photoshop" to "VerizonSucksCock") from invisiblek's dumped aboot.img.

If flashing this doesn't brick the device it tells us that aboot is not signed/checked.

WARNING: I will not be responsible for bricks. It would be wise do binary diff this against your own aboot before attempting.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?dyhmkepoebbpj21


----------



## jdubau55

I think with enough out cry Samsung will unlock the device. HTC did the same thing. I don't care if I have to go to some website to unlock. Devs keep me more up to date than VZW ever will. Just allow full access to the device.


----------



## PhantomGamers

jdubau55 said:


> I think with enough out cry Samsung will unlock the device. HTC did the same thing. I don't care if I have to go to some website to unlock. Devs keep me more up to date than VZW ever will. Just allow full access to the device.


It's clearly not about Samsung at this point, but about Verizon.


----------



## simonbarsinistr

PhantomGamers said:


> It's clearly not about Samsung at this point, but about Verizon.


True, Samsung has already made the decision to provide unlocked devices, that's why all the other carriers have unlocked S3s. Verizon sure is worried about all the details, considering they were the top mobile carrier before they started all of these new restrictions on data and devices. I wouldn't mind seeing them slip. Hopefully it would keep them from trying to squeeze every last penny out of their customers.

Tapped from my unicorn'd Gnex


----------



## acras

Thanks to everyone taking the time to explain and respond to my posts , I really enjoy learning about all this , however small the amout of information I can retain .
I have no doubt that people will break this and be able to get working ROMs on it in short order. I do think that it will be a cat and mouse game with verizon continuing to try to limit Devs from doing so , I will enjoy seeing and hearing about the Devs kicking the billion dollar corp. ass . Unfortunately since I first heard it was locked down , and started shopping phone options , I am having a very hard time justifying keeping the s3 and 2 years of $112/mo. payments to V . $60/mo. prepaid to TMO with a Google galaxy nexus , and the ability to go where I want for service , and buy any gsm phone I want just keeps burning in my mind. We'll see tomorrow when the s3 gets here , I might play with it for a week or so , but I'm having doubts that it is $1100 cooler than the nexus over the next two years.


----------



## Mexiken

simonbarsinistr said:


> True, Samsung has already made the decision to provide unlocked devices, that's why all the other carriers have unlocked S3s. Verizon sure is worried about all the details, considering they were the top mobile carrier before they started all of these new restrictions on data and devices. I wouldn't mind seeing them slip. Hopefully it would keep them from trying to squeeze every last penny out of their customers.
> 
> Tapped from my unicorn'd Gnex


Uh, they're still the top carrier after all the changes they've gone through. They're the most profitable, largest cust base, have the biggest network, etc etc.

You might want to get your facts straight.


----------



## Jaben2

Sounds like a few devs in irc got kexec working. Supposedly going to make a post on XDA. Here"s to hoping it is true.


----------



## skaforey

That would be quite amazing, but wouldn't it still fail the next time you reboot?


----------



## Jaben2

Not sure what the whole story is, but it is supposedly like what they use on the Razor.


----------



## dvader

http://www.epiccm.or...urce-built.html

tl;dr
they got kexec working and you will be able to run custom kernels and roms


----------



## I Am Marino

dvader said:


> http://www.epiccm.or...urce-built.html
> 
> tl;dr
> they got kexec working and you will be able to run custom kernels and roms


Kexec has its own problems, like both cores not working.

EDIT: Supposedly it's not a problem anymore.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## acras

Just saw this B.S. from verizon on Droid-life - http://www.droid-life.com/2012/07/09/verizon-support-blames-samsung-for-bootloader-lock-workaround-potentially-found-bounty-placed/#more-75263


----------



## mav3rick478

acras said:


> Just saw this B.S. from verizon on Droid-life - http://www.droid-lif...ced/#more-75263


so what page of the CSR manual is that, i think its page 2 after the "Have you tried powering off then on your device?"


----------



## PhantomGamers

acras said:


> Just saw this B.S. from verizon on Droid-life - http://www.droid-lif...ced/#more-75263


LOL All they do is lie. I'm sick of these fuckers.


----------



## acras

PhantomGamers said:


> LOL All they do is lie. I'm sick of these fuckers.


I really like the contradiction , C.s. says that V had nothing to do with the lockdown , then the screenshot shows system software not authorized by Verizon . I would think if it was all Samsungs doing , that screen would say not authorized by samsung .
So , anyone interested in buying a white 16gb S3 ?


----------



## Travisimo

Quick question: for now, all I really want is root so I can use Titanium Backup and some other root apps. But I also want to do Nandroid backups. Do I have to permanently flash CWM recovery to do Nandroids, or can Rom Manager reboot to recover temporarily just to do Nandroids? I still want to be able to get OTA updates for now, so what is my best course of action?

Thanks!


----------



## Hobart

This from Verizon

Verizon Wireless has established a standard of excellence in customer experience with our branded devices and customer service. There is an expectation that if a customer has a question, they can call Verizon Wireless for answers that help them maximize their enjoyment and use of their wireless phone. Depending on the device, an open boot loader could prevent Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support because it would allow users to change the phone or otherwise modify the software and, potentially, negatively impact how the phone connects with the network. The addition of unapproved software could also negatively impact the wireless experience for other customers. It is always a delicate balance for any company to manage the technology choices we make for our branded devices and the requests of a few who may want a different device experience. We always review our technology choices to ensure that we provide the best solution for as many customers as possible.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## acras

So , I have a question that is indirectly related to this . Does anyone know for sure , the contract I signed at time of preorder , does that take effect that day or when I activate the device? The problem I'm seeing is that if I want to return the s3 I might be stuck with the 2 year contract extension . I have only seen something about 14 days , but not sure if that is supposed to be from that date or when I get the device. Tried to call C.S. , but suprise , they are experiencing a high volume of calls and can't say what the wait time is. The outcome will determine if I return the s3( if they will reverse the contract change) or sell it ( if I have to pay the etf to get out of the new 2 year) .


----------



## CraigHwk

From what I can see, it goes by when you are charged for the phone.


----------



## acras

Hobart said:


> This from Verizon
> 
> Verizon Wireless has established a standard of excellence in customer experience with our branded devices and customer service. There is an expectation that if a customer has a question, they can call Verizon Wireless for answers that help them maximize their enjoyment and use of their wireless phone. Depending on the device, an open boot loader could prevent Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support because it would allow users to change the phone or otherwise modify the software and, potentially, negatively impact how the phone connects with the network. The addition of unapproved software could also negatively impact the wireless experience for other customers. It is always a delicate balance for any company to manage the technology choices we make for our branded devices and the requests of a few who may want a different device experience. We always review our technology choices to ensure that we provide the best solution for as many customers as possible.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


I wish there was a way to "like" that you posted that and at the same time "dislike" the quote itself


----------



## mapatton82

acras said:


> So , I have a question that is indirectly related to this . Does anyone know for sure , the contract I signed at time of preorder , does that take effect that day or when I activate the device? The problem I'm seeing is that if I want to return the s3 I might be stuck with the 2 year contract extension . I have only seen something about 14 days , but not sure if that is supposed to be from that date or when I get the device. Tried to call C.S. , but suprise , they are experiencing a high volume of calls and can't say what the wait time is. The outcome will determine if I return the s3( if they will reverse the contract change) or sell it ( if I have to pay the etf to get out of the new 2 year) .


It would be from when you ordered the GS3 and extended your contract otherwise If it was when you activated it then you wouldn't keep unlimited data. But I think there is a 14 day return on the phone where you get something different and ( don't hold me to this) shouldn't affect your plan (ex keeping unlimited data).


----------



## acras

According to the C.S. rep I just spoke to , I can refuse delivery , the phone will go back to V , and within 2-3 days they will reverse the contract back to what it was before. Hoping this ends up true , I told him I wanted it back the way it was so I could get a subsidized phone later when a new Moto device comes out.







.I said because I had so many problems with ordering the sammy , I felt it was jinxed. I didn't say it was because you jackholes locked the s3 down.


----------



## PhantomGamers

acras said:


> I didn't say it was because you jackholes locked the s3 down.


You should have, to let them know where they went wrong.
If you don't complain about it, why would they change their ways?


----------



## theMichael

you guys should check out this bounty they have for the first person to crack the bootloader over on xda.

i would contribute but i cant be bothered with making ten posts first...kind of a stupid rule.


----------



## yarly

I believe verizon and OEMs do use the excuse of something on the lines of, "only a very small percentage root so who cares if we screw them." So, if you don't stick up for yourself, you won't be considered a very vocal minority.


----------



## oddball

acras said:


> According to the C.S. rep I just spoke to , I can refuse delivery , the phone will go back to V , and within 2-3 days they will reverse the contract back to what it was before. Hoping this ends up true , I told him I wanted it back the way it was so I could get a subsidized phone later when a new Moto device comes out.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .I said because I had so many problems with ordering the sammy , I felt it was jinxed. I didn't say it was because you jackholes locked the s3 down.


Be aware that getting a new subsidized phone will lose your unlimited. The training documents leaked somewhere I just can't find the link. If you get the same phone due to DOA you can keep your unlimited but if you try to get a different phone they will force you off your unlimited.

EDIT FOUND THE LINK HERE IS THE PERTINENT DATA AND THE LINK
http://awesomescreenshot.com/09ba1ruf8 (DATA)
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12311939/Share_Everything_TRG_Indirect.pdf (overall link)


----------



## acras

PhantomGamers said:


> Be aware that getting a new subsidized phone will lose your unlimited. The training documents leaked somewhere I just can't find the link. If you get the same phone due to DOA you can keep your unlimited but if you try to get a different phone they will force you off your unlimited.


I know I will loose unlimited , I don't care , and that's the point of me requesting to get my account returned to exactly what it was before , so my contract end date goes back to what it was , not 2014. I'm done with Verizon . I'm ordering an unlocked gsm nexus from google and going prepaid. I will be able to use att or tmo whenever I want , and stay under $70/m , most likely $30-$45/mo. I live in L.A. so coverage will be fine , and I usually don't go more than 1.5gb data so the prepaid with 2gb should fit perfectly. Hello saving $1900 over the next two years.


----------



## PhantomGamers

acras said:


> I didn't tell them because obviously , they don't care and I didn't want them to tell me they wouldn't do it because of the locked bootloader . More flies with honey than vinegar theory.


They can't do that. Lol


----------



## 00negative

Samsung should at least leak an unlocked version of the boot loader since Verizon has decided to blame them


----------



## PhantomGamers

00negative said:


> Samsung should at least leak an unlocked version of the boot loader since Verizon has decided to blame them


Imagine if they unlock it and claim the $1300 bounty XD


----------



## acras

PhantomGamers said:


> They can't do that. Lol


they can't alter the devices that have global radios either , according to fcc regulations , but they have and do . Then people act like they are getting something special when the "software update comes" and their devices are global ready , like they were BEFORE Verizon illegally restricted them. I would rather have them think they are going to get me later with a new Verizon device and get me off unlimited in the process , than run the risk of having to fight with them on a front that they have been fighting against the FCC. If the gov. can't get verizon to abide by the law , how am I going to get out of my contract citing that same law. Just my perspective on it , I'm getting what I want so whatever works.


----------



## joemagistro

i gave up with verizon today... instead of upgrading, i let them know how disappointed i was with them and told them that i would like an S3, only through a different provider,.. they asked me why.. and asides from me telling them they royally screwed me on my preorder, i also said that i dont want a phone that is available through all carriers unlocked and have the carrier that decided to lock them... sorry im going to tmobile...

i got my phone an hour ago and already its rooted, rommed, and running at 1.8ghz.... sorry verizon its been a decent 2 years, but i had to


----------



## Wizardawd

acras said:


> I didn't tell them because obviously , they don't care and I didn't want them to tell me they wouldn't do it because of the locked bootloader . More flies with honey than vinegar theory.
> 
> I know I will loose unlimited , I don't care , and that's the point of me requesting to get my account returned to exactly what it was before , so my contract end date goes back to what it was , not 2014. I'm done with Verizon . I'm ordering an unlocked gsm nexus from google and going prepaid. I will be able to use att or tmo whenever I want , and stay under $70/m , most likely $30-$45/mo. I live in L.A. so coverage will be fine , and I usually don't go more than 1.5gb data so the prepaid with 2gb should fit perfectly. Hello saving $1900 over the next two years.


Go Straighttalk. $45 a month Unlimited everything. www.straighttalksim.com. Order the sim card that uses the GSM network of your choice.

And I really can't believe the reaction over this. Give it some time people....holy hell. Coming from a Fascinate...even with all the crap on it, it still blows away my Fazzy. 2gb of system ram versus 384mb. 16gb internal versus 2gb. Removable battery AND memory card slot (with a nice class 10 PNY card in it) I have nothing to bitch about. Sure, I wouldn't mind getting the garbage out of it, but that was a neccessity on the Fazzy because the hardware was limited. This thing doesn't blink twice regardless of what's running. Restoring my apps from the store, watching a video AND texting at the same time (Wifi of course) and it didn't hang up one bit EVER. I will probably root it soon just to clean up the garage, but I'll PATIENTLY wait for the devs to do their thing. In the meantime, I'm a happy VZW customer since 2004.

Wiz


----------



## acras

Wizardawd said:


> Go Straighttalk. $45 a month Unlimited everything. www.straighttalksim.com. Order the sim card that uses the GSM network of your choice.
> 
> Wiz


yea I've been reading up on the whole prepaid thing on xda http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1455014 , and straight talk looks pretty good. I'm thinking I'm going to start with tmo , because I can pick up the sim for free in store and fire up right away. still a great savings to get my feet wet with prepaid/gsm , then as I get my head around the whole sim card provider thing I will testdrive ST


----------



## Wizardawd

Depending on where you are, apprently larger Walmarts in heavier pop areas/cities carry the StraightTalk sim cards in the store.

Wiz


----------



## acras

Wizardawd said:


> Depending on where you are, apprently larger Walmarts in heavier pop areas/cities carry the StraightTalk sim cards in the store.
> 
> Wiz


Folks out here are militant anti - walmart , closest one is about 8 miles away , and that translates to half an hour or more one way. If I'm near it for something else , I'll drop in and check


----------



## Hobart

So I have been trying to follow over at xda on the progress of the locked boot loader but I am kinda lost ..lol

I know they have a custom kernel loaded and root has been achieved and custom recovery.....has anything else happened? Is this going to be another Droid x? I know the dx was locked down a lot more than the sg3 but I am still unsure if I want it.... or go to another carrier??? Can somebody smart(lol) give us a status report? Goose?

I registered for xda but can't post until I help 10 people?? Wtf

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## junjlo

A note worthy thread over on xda a bounty for the bootloader unlock is up to $1500+ 
*Link: http://tinyurl.com/6ve9pyb*


----------



## wiz561

I'm suppose to be receiving my siii today and I'm on the fence about keeping it because of the locked bootloader. I have a Droid X and while it was a great phone, I feel like I got screwed in the end because of the locked bootloader. It seemed like if there was a new version of Android, I would have to wait for verizon to deploy it OTA before it got rooted. Sometimes this would be months after the android updates.

Since Verizon is the only carrier that decided to lock the bootloader, something makes me think that even though there's been a lot of development on the unlocking front, there will always be a delay before an update is pushed down, instead of doing it yourself. Meanwhile, everybody else in the world is able to flash the phone to the latest OS.

This is extremely annoying and the only thing that would keep me with Verizon is the speed and reception here at work. I travel a lot, and T-Mobile is only 2g at a lot of places I go to, and Sprint is out of the question. I'm going to look at AT&T and see how speeds and reception is here at work....


----------



## psycho_asylum

acras said:


> yea I've been reading up on the whole prepaid thing on xda http://forum.xda-dev...d.php?t=1455014 , and straight talk looks pretty good. I'm thinking I'm going to start with tmo , because I can pick up the sim for free in store and fire up right away. still a great savings to get my feet wet with prepaid/gsm , then as I get my head around the whole sim card provider thing I will testdrive ST


StraightTalk has some interesting crap posted in their terms of use. http://www.straighttalk.com/terms

They basically say you can't use the data plan for streaming video or audio and that you are supposed to have your phone on WiFi at all times. I've also read that if you do go over 2GB in a month, they will turn off your phone's service without even notifying you.


----------



## acras

psycho_asylum said:


> StraightTalk has some interesting crap posted in their terms of use. http://www.straighttalk.com/terms
> 
> They basically say you can't use the data plan for streaming video or audio and that you are supposed to have your phone on WiFi at all times. I've also read that if you do go over 2GB in a month, they will turn off your phone's service without even notifying you.


But they can't MAKE you have your wifi on , I doubt that they block streaming because on numerous threads I have read no one has mentioned that happening . As to going over the cap again , I haven't seen anyone post that they have been booted. I have seen several posts from people on ST that say they have gone over 2gb and nothing has happened . Yes , they CAN turn it off , but I haven't read one post of it actually happening . I've been poking around here , XDA , H.F. , and a few other sites looking into going prepaid. If you found a thread where someone has posted having this happen , could you share a link please?


----------



## Goose306

Hobart said:


> So I have been trying to follow over at xda on the progress of the locked boot loader but I am kinda lost ..lol
> 
> I know they have a custom kernel loaded and root has been achieved and custom recovery.....has anything else happened? Is this going to be another Droid x? I know the dx was locked down a lot more than the sg3 but I am still unsure if I want it.... or go to another carrier??? Can somebody smart(lol) give us a status report? Goose?
> 
> I registered for xda but can't post until I help 10 people?? Wtf
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


I gotcha Hobart.

If you have received your GSIII yet or if its in the mail you should be good.

Root status is well past obtained, so is custom recovery. Its a hack-around, but honestly much easier than it ever was on a Moto phone, so don't sweat it.

As far as the bootloader work, there is high hopes it'll be cracked sooner rather than later. Kexec has been proven successful, without the usual qualms that come with it. Really the only downside is that when the phone is rebooted you have to go through CWM, but that is no biggie TBH, especially again compared to the Moto phones. Everything else works, we don't really get the other downsides that came with kexec on the RAZR, since we can have a proper replacement recovery.

Also the bounty on XDA has surpassed $1,500 for someone to hack the BL and it looks like AdamOutlier will be getting a version to attempt to crack, and he's a wizard at that (he's hacked a few BL)

That being said...

there is rumors passing around the inter-tubes of an OTA update being imminent for this phone. So, while the BL may be either bypassed or hacked, I have a strong suspicion this OTA update is to lock this puppy down proper. So, if you want to keep your GSIII, the FIRST THING you should do is root it and freeze the FWUpgrader.


----------



## PhantomGamers

Some people were thinking that the OTA update might even UNLOCK it.
However with Verizon's recent statement I find this HIGHLY unlikely.


----------



## 5i13r

I'm thinking about staying stock for a few more weeks. In order to keep my device free of the upcoming OTA do I just dismiss any message that appears asking me to install it?


----------



## PhantomGamers

5i13r said:


> I'm thinking about staying stock for a few more weeks. In order to keep my device free of the upcoming OTA do I just dismiss any message that appears asking me to install it?


That should work but the only way to be 100% safe is to remove the FWUpdater APK from your system, which requires root.


----------



## Hobart

Goose306 said:


> I gotcha Hobart.
> 
> If you have received your GSIII yet or if its in the mail you should be good.
> 
> Root status is well past obtained, so is custom recovery. Its a hack-around, but honestly much easier than it ever was on a Moto phone, so don't sweat it.
> 
> As far as the bootloader work, there is high hopes it'll be cracked sooner rather than later. Kexec has been proven successful, without the usual qualms that come with it. Really the only downside is that when the phone is rebooted you have to go through CWM, but that is no biggie TBH, especially again compared to the Moto phones. Everything else works, we don't really get the other downsides that came with kexec on the RAZR, since we can have a proper replacement recovery.
> 
> Also the bounty on XDA has surpassed $1,500 for someone to hack the BL and it looks like AdamOutlier will be getting a version to attempt to crack, and he's a wizard at that (he's hacked a few BL)
> 
> That being said...
> 
> there is rumors passing around the inter-tubes of an OTA update being imminent for this phone. So, while the BL may be either bypassed or hacked, I have a strong suspicion this OTA update is to lock this puppy down proper. So, if you want to keep your GSIII, the FIRST THING you should do is root it and freeze the FWUpgrader.


Thanks goose! I haven't bought the phone yet...I'm not sure if I am going to stay with Verizon after they locked it....cause they are going to keep doing it to every good phone they release. Will we ever have a one click root or stuff similar to the dx? So far it seems real complicated and very breakable to even root? So is the ease of rooting and roming with an unlocked boot loader worth changing carriers if I have no contract and haven't bought the phone yet? I don't want another dx for 2 years.

I've been following along on xda but they speak a different language over there..haha

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## headcheese

PhantomGamers said:


> That should work but the only way to be 100% safe is to remove the FWUpdater APK from your system, which requires root.


i am about to root... but still on the fence if i want to keep this phone. i will give it a week or so.

is unrooting as easy as flashing the stock rom in odin from samsung??


----------



## Goose306

Hobart said:


> Thanks goose! I haven't bought the phone yet...I'm not sure if I am going to stay with Verizon after they locked it....cause they are going to keep doing it to every good phone they release. So is the ease of rooting and roming with an unlocked boot loader worth changing carriers if I have no contract and haven't bought the phone yet? I don't want another dx for 2 years.
> 
> I've been following along on xda but they speak a different language over there..haha
> 
> I would say it depends on the options for other providers in your area and your attachment to unlimited data. If I had a real option in my area for a providers other than VZW, I would have went that way. But VZW has a near stranglehold on networks here and I have unlimited, so locked BL or not Im sticking around here.
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


Sent from my SCH-I535


----------



## Hobart

Goose306 said:


> Sent from my SCH-I535


Att is an option in my area...and it will cost about the same as Verizon the only thing is my woman has a contract til April and as of today it will be $200 early termination + buying 2 new phones and activation and stuff for ATT . If I go alone it would be $90 on my own or $160 for both. Seems silly to switch and not save $ and pay to have her out if her contract...but I can't get over Big Red controlling my crap! And I want an unlocked boot loader...so you see I'm stuck

Goose do you gtalk? I used your screen name to send invite..nit sure if its right..lol...I am [email protected]

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## Goose306

Hobart said:


> Att is an option in my area...and it will cost about the same as Verizon the only thing is my woman has a contract til April and as of today it will be $200 early termination + buying 2 new phones and activation and stuff for ATT . If I go alone it would be $90 on my own or $160 for both. Seems silly to switch and not save $ and pay to have her out if her contract...but I can't get over Big Red controlling my crap! And I want an unlocked boot loader...so you see I'm stuck
> 
> Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


You can always get a GNex... Although I'd definitely say the S3 is an upgrade hardware-side

Sent from my SCH-I535


----------



## Hobart

Goose306 said:


> You can always get a GNex... Although I'd definitely say the S3 is an upgrade hardware-side
> 
> I did go to Att today to play and it is a NICE phone!!!!!!
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535


I thought about that..haha...but your right...hardware sux

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PhantomGamers

headcheese said:


> i am about to root... but still on the fence if i want to keep this phone. i will give it a week or so.
> 
> is unrooting as easy as flashing the stock rom in odin from samsung??


mhm


----------



## joemagistro

heres your answer...

http://www.androidcentral.com/samsung-offer-hacker-friendly-developer-edition-galaxy-s-iii

want an unlocked phone from verizon?? buy it through samsung!! itll cost you 400 bucks more tho!!

thats good of samsung to say fuck you verizon.... but.... that isnt worth it to me whatsoever!!


----------



## landshark

headcheese said:


> i am about to root... but still on the fence if i want to keep this phone. i will give it a week or so.
> 
> is unrooting as easy as flashing the stock rom in odin from samsung??


I've had the Fascinate, Charge, GNex, and now SGS3. Haven't had any reason to unroot the GNex, but unrooting the Fascinate and Charge were exactly that simple - flash a full stock ROM in ODIN.

Dang it, didn't realize there was another page. Ninja'd by PhantomGamers


----------



## headcheese

I don't get it why doesn't Sammy just release an unlock tool for this one?


----------



## acras

headcheese said:


> I don't get it why doesn't Sammy just release an unlock tool for this one?


Because Verizon won't allow them to . The phones purchased through Verizon have their warranty , The unlocked phone has no warranty . Of course allowing these unlocked phones on their network contradicts part of their statement as to why the s3 (and other phones) are locked/encrypted. V says that unapproved software and ROMS pose a security risk to others on the network. Samsung isn't at fault , if anything applaud them for making this available at all , I'm sure they had to push pretty hard to get this ok'ed for Verizon.

Edit: check out the section under why is verizons version locked for the irony http://www.droid-life.com/2012/07/10/samsung-to-offer-a-galaxy-s3-developer-edition-on-verizon-for-599-with-an-unlockable-bootloader/


----------



## headcheese

exactly what im saying. why not just an unlock tool? your warranty is void unlocked anyway.

hopefully this helps us unlock.


----------



## joemagistro

acras said:


> Because Verizon won't allow them to . The phones purchased through Verizon have their warranty , The unlocked phone has no warranty . Of course allowing these unlocked phones on their network contradicts part of their statement as to why the s3 (and other phones) are locked/encrypted. V says that unapproved software and ROMS pose a security risk to others on the network. Samsung isn't at fault , if anything applaud them for making this available at all , I'm sure they had to push pretty hard to get this ok'ed for Verizon.
> 
> Edit: check out the section under why is verizons version locked for the irony http://www.droid-lif...ble-bootloader/


but regardless unlocking a phone will break the warranty anyways... soo whats the big deal??? simply put.. if the phone is broke and its unlocked.. youre beat..... why have samsung sell another phone at full price??


----------



## acras

headcheese said:


> exactly what im saying. why not just an unlock tool? your warranty is void unlocked anyway.
> 
> hopefully this helps us unlock.


Because VERIZON WILL NOT ALLOW IT. It's their playground and they make the rules , however contradictory their statements are . Verizon will not allow a phone sold through them to be unlocked. And technically , your warranty is not void if you unlock , root , ROM it to hell or anything else , unless they can PROVE that what you did caused the problem. They hope that you will believe you void your warranty simply by modifying the software , but the FCC says different. If modifying the operating system in any way from what Verizon sold it to you voided the warranty , then ANY app you download to the phone would void the warranty. Add a different calendar and have your gmail sync with it , you changed your device , warranty void. Simply not the case . Winning the argument with Verizon of course is not going to happen , as Verizon continues to violate FCC regulations .

Edit: It's the cost of getting a subsidized phone from Verizon , you want it cheaper , you get what they want you to get , and ONLY what they want you to get. At least Sammy has given you an option if you need Verizons network . Hell , return your subsidized phone but keep the new contract and buy the unlocked phone , but honestly with all the Dev's working on this , I don't think it will make much of a difference .


----------



## joemagistro

and that my friend is why verizon lost one of many customers.... they can spite themselves bc thats all they are doing!


----------



## E Sini

http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/10254/20120710/samsung-galaxy-s3-verizon-bootloader-unlocked-code.htm

Check this out.. source code for the locked boot loader. Can any Dev use this to get it done??

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PhantomGamers

E Sini said:


> http://www.idigitalt...locked-code.htm
> 
> Check this out.. source code for the locked boot loader. Can any Dev use this to get it done??
> 
> Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


It's NOT the source code for the bootloader, just the source code for the ROM and Kernel.


----------



## E Sini

PhantomGamers said:


> It's NOT the source code for the bootloader, just the source code for the ROM and Kernel.


Lol I posted it everywhere in hopes devs see it and can use it for anything lol
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2


----------



## joemagistro

Bounty is up to 1655.00!


----------



## ImaComputa

Hey Goose, do you have yours rooted? If so how is it? The last I read on rooting was that it was kind of hacked together and was prone to making things wonky.


----------



## Goose306

ImaComputa said:


> Hey Goose, do you have yours rooted? If so how is it? The last I read on rooting was that it was kind of hacked together and was prone to making things wonky.


No issues with root atm. Only issue I had was keyboard was screwed up, installed SwiftKey 3, no issues.

Sent from my SCH-I535


----------



## acras

Goose306 said:


> No issues with root atm. Only issue I had was keyboard was screwed up, installed SwiftKey 3, no issues.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535


Any issues with bears ? Glad you are getting it whipped into shape.


----------



## Antg001

So I got my galaxy s3 yesterday. It's not bad little bit of lag and froze a few times other then that very nice. I see that it looks like Verizon will not unlock the phone anytime soon I'm getting this from an article I read today about Samsung is going to be selling on there site only a Verizon unlocked version called the galaxy s3 developers edition (600$). So leaves me to the question I want to root my phone the safest way possible that people have 
tired I don't want to change anything just a root so I can remove the carp.


----------



## mapatton82

Antg001 said:


> So I got my galaxy s3 yesterday. It's not bad little bit of lag and froze a few times other then that very nice. I see that it looks like Verizon will not unlock the phone anytime soon I'm getting this from an article I read today about Samsung is going to be selling on there site only a Verizon unlocked version called the galaxy s3 developers edition (600$). So leaves me to the question I want to root my phone the safest way possible that people have
> tired I don't want to change anything just a root so I can remove the carp.


Check out the link below, I am going to give this a try tonight. Basically it is the stock rom but rooted.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762204


----------



## ImaComputa

Goose306 said:


> No issues with root atm. Only issue I had was keyboard was screwed up, installed SwiftKey 3, no issues.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535


Right after I posted that I read xda and somebody put together a legit copy of a clean vzw install that fixes the keyboard and a few other things like the verizon text on the lockscreen.


----------



## goodwidp

mapatton82 said:


> Right after I posted that I read xda and somebody put together a legit copy of a clean vzw install that fixes the keyboard and a few other things like the verizon text on the lockscreen.


I can confirm the above link works with zero issues. I was hesitant about trying the first root method posted on XDA because of the slight problems some users were experiencing so this method was exactly what I was looking for. None of the issues reported with the other method have appeared and the process itself couldn't be easier.


----------



## Travisimo

If I do the above to obtain root, will it wipe my phone? I have spent a great deal of time setting things up and don't really want to do it all again. Thanks.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using RootzWiki


----------



## goodwidp

Travisimo said:


> If I do the above to obtain root, will it wipe my phone? I have spent a great deal of time setting things up and don't really want to do it all again. Thanks.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using RootzWiki


You should be fine. I was concerned with the same thing as I had spent a few hours doing some customizations and didn't want to lose them. The phone looked _exactly_ the same after rooting as it did before. Nothing was modified, removed, broken; in fact the only difference was that I now had SU access.


----------



## JCSIII79




----------



## dvader

Since i had an issue (now resolved) I called into tech support, after i got off the phone
i got a call 5 minutes later asking me to take an automated survey. I did.
and then tonight I got a call from a vzw rep asking me about the survey and if i was happy with the company... etc etc.
1st thing i told him is i was unhappy about the bootloader being locked. he tried to give me the corp. line about it voiding warranty, being unstable.. blah blah.
I persisted and told him i should be allowed to do what i want with my phone.
i told him i was unhappy about the unlimited data going away too, he didn't say anything.
nothing will change of course, but i made it clear several times i didn't like the corporate policy of locking down phones.


----------



## Goose306

ImaComputa said:


> Right after I posted that I read xda and somebody put together a legit copy of a clean vzw install that fixes the keyboard and a few other things like the verizon text on the lockscreen.


Didn't even notice the LS TBH. I turned off the LS. Didn't like the girly dandelion and couldn't be arsed to find a way to change it. I replaced touchwiz home with Apex Pro with the Jelly Bean wallpapers and it rocks. But once I realized the lock screen background was unchanged I was greatly annoyed and just disabled it...









Sent from my SCH-I535


----------



## ImaComputa

goodwidp said:


> I can confirm the above link works with zero issues. I was hesitant about trying the first root method posted on XDA because of the slight problems some users were experiencing so this method was exactly what I was looking for. None of the issues reported with the other method have appeared and the process itself couldn't be easier.


Same here. I just flashed the new tar after a factory reset and everything it's flawless. So easy compared to the droid x. Click a button in odin and it does everything. First thing I did was ax all the bloat they try to shove up your ass and now my battery life is insane. I took it off the charger and it was at 100% even after making a few calls and it stayed like that for almost a couple hours. I thought the damn battery bar froze. It's a shame that they try so hard to gimp these things because this phone is amazing.


----------



## djj624

Just got my gs3 today. Are there two different root methods? Or are you guys just using the one from the first page?

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## ImaComputa

djj624 said:


> Just got my gs3 today. Are there two different root methods? Or are you guys just using the one from the first page?
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


The first img had a few quirks so somebody redid it.

http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1762204


----------



## mav3rick478

Has anyone tried the method with Heimdall? I'm on a Mac.


----------



## djj624

Is adb the only way to get a recovery like cwm or twrp? I'm not familiar with adb at all.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## PhantomGamers

djj624 said:


> Is adb the only way to get a recovery like cwm or twrp? I'm not familiar with adb at all.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


You can do it just fine using Terminal Emulator on the device itself.
Just skip to the part after adb shell and follow the same commands.


----------



## djj624

Ok I'll give it a shot. Thank you.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## 00negative

mav3rick478 said:


> Has anyone tried the method with Heimdall? I'm on a Mac.


I was on the irc last night and that came up, doesn't sound like anyone has confirmed that on either linux or mac.


----------

