justsoup 

Being able to unlock the bootloader of a device you own should be legally mandated. I own the hardware, I should own the functionality of it too. I can get the modem being illegal to modify, since that has a ton of regulatory and public safety tape around it, but the OS being irreplacible is dumb.

Also, unlocking the bootloader should be as simple as sending a command to the device. Screw this trend of needing unlock codes (looking at you Motorola, Fairphone, and Co.).

Mar 3 at 3:11pmWeb
Show threadwitch_t *naviMar 3
@justsoup bootloader unlocking imo should be an option in the developer menu, or if a remote command, it should need to prompt for your password

because people lose their phones a lot, and letting someone unlock the bootloader without a possword would at best cause their data to be wiped, and at worse let them install malware

otherwise, yeah, fuck those codes
Show threaddakkarMar 3
@[email protected] @justsoup on all Android machines I've used, you need to enable unlocking via the dev menu, then "reboot to recovery" (both these steps require user authentication), and the actual unlocking wipes the data partition.
Re-locking also wipes, because it couldn't guarantee you've not left some suid binaries or patched libraries or stuff like that
Show threadwitch_t *naviMar 3
@dakkar @justsoup

motorola and xiaomi (and seem like fairphone too) requires you to register on their website, to get an unlock code you feed into adb

and iirc they only give you the code, if your phone's IMEI has been registered and active for at least a month, which is hell
Show threadjustsoup Mar 3
@navi @dakkar Fairphone just requires the IMEI of the device and doesn't need it to be activated iirc, so that's at least a small point to them. But, the main issue I see is that, when these companies eventually go under or drop the service giving out the codes, the devices become impossible to unlock.
Show threaddakkarMar 3
@[email protected] 😭
I was mostly remarking on the "local auth" and "wipe data" aspects.
I totally agree that requiring manufacturer's (or carrier's) permission is awful
@justsoup
Show threadwitch_t *naviMar 3
@dakkar @justsoup

carrier locked phones as a concept is the most bullshit thing ever, artificial restrictions that force you to buy a new phone if you want to change your carrier

i'm so thankful it seems to be dying out
Show threadjustsoup Mar 3
@navi @dakkar Carrier locked phones are still going strong in most of the US. Seems like the only option for phones these days that aren't iPhones *are* carrier locked. I know the next phone I get once my current Fairphone 3 kicks the bucket will be an iPhone for that very reason.
Show threadwitch_t *naviMar 3
@justsoup @dakkar oh, RIP

in brasil and seem like in spain and germany too, they're a dying thing for a while now

ofc the US is the only one behind...
Show threadVal Packett 🧉Mar 3
@navi @justsoup @dakkar moto doesn't really have any obnoxious requirements but xiaomi has been tightening the screws and trying to kill off the entire unlock program (!!!) it's horrible horrible horrible, don't buy anything new from xiaomi anymore
Show threadjustsoup Mar 3
@navi I would say I agree, but the amount of devices I've seen have to go to the landfill because of FRP is at least over a hundred now. I think requiring a separate device makes the most sense because it prevents somebody from snatching your phone and unlocking it in the moment. If somebody has physical access to your device, your data is screwed anyways, so leaving more devices to the trash over that seems unwise.
Show threadwitch_t *naviMar 3
@justsoup i forgot about FRP, i think the last time i reset a phone was when you still could hold power+vol-down and navigate the menu with the funny android mascot

i think it makes sense, a discarded phone should be reusable

the incentive for FRP was to disincentivize people from stealing phones to reset and re-sell -- which sure but it's not worth the landfills with soft-locked phones, and any solution i can think of has blatant issues too

so yeah, gone with FRP
Show threadWeirdTreeThingMar 3
@justsoup @navi FRP is neat idea in concept, but awful in execution. At least it can sometimes be bypassed though.