Samsung may be killing bootloader unlocking on all phones with One UI 8
TL;DR Samsung appears to be disabling bootloader unlocking in One UI 8 on more devices than before.
Previously, only US models lacked the OEM Unlock toggle, but the restriction now seems to be spreading to global models as well.
A contributor on XDA Developers discovered that Samsung is likely stripping out the necessary code to unlock bootloaders entirely.
Samsung might be quietly locking down its phones even more tightly with the One UI 8 update. A new report from an XDA Developers contributor reveals that Samsung appears to be removing the ability to unlock the bootloader on more devices, including international versions that previously supported it.
Samsung phones in the US already lack the 'OEM Unlocking' toggle in Developer Options, effectively preventing users from unlocking the bootloader and installing custom ROMs. But now, it looks like that restriction could apply globally.
What's changed?
The contributor, salvo_giangri, discovered that Samsung has added a line to the device's bootloader configuration: androidboot.other.locked=1
This line tells the Android system whether the device is allowed to unlock the bootloader. If it's set to 1, the Settings app won't even show the OEM Unlock option, which is the first step in unlocking a phone.
In the latest One UI 8 firmware, this line is present even on non-US devices, indicating that the restriction is no longer region-specific.
We checked and can confirm that our non-US Galaxy Z Fold 7 does not have the 'OEM Unlocking' toggle in Developer Options. Some folks think this could be a mistake on Samsung's part. However, those running the One UI 8 beta build also report that the option is missing from their devices.
Unlocking the bootloader is essential for enthusiasts and developers who want to install custom ROMs or kernels, gain full root access to their devices, or further customize their phones.
If you're someone who loves customizing your phone or values the freedom to tinker with Android, then this is a significant step back from Samsung. Anyone planning to update to One UI 8 or buy a new Samsung device running Android 16 should know that this restriction may apply to their devices. That said, we'll reach out to Samsung for an official confirmation on the matter.
For now, the bootloader on your current Samsung devices that are not running One UI 8 should still be unlockable, but with new updates and devices, that may no longer be the case.
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