Samsung restricts bootloader unlocking on One UI 8 devices

It’s not all sunshine and roses with the latest One UI 8 software by Samsung. The company’s take on Android 16 is currently available as a stable version on its Galaxy Z Fold7 and Z Flip7 smartphones. Meanwhile, some users are running a beta version of the software on their Galaxy S devices and older foldables.

While most people are enjoying the new features, some power users are left disappointed because Samsung quietly restricted the ability to unlock the bootloader. And this appears to be true for both stable and beta builds.

Moreover, previous Galaxy S and Z Fold/Z Flip generation users with unlocked bootloaders are reporting that the update to One UI 8 beta locked their bootloader.

An XDA Developers forum user dug deeper into the code and found out that there isn’t a potential workaround either. It appears that Samsung has completely removed all lines of code that control bootloader unlocking, so it’s not just a setting that’s been removed from the Settings menu.

This sounds like a significant blow to Samsung’s power user base, and it could potentially trigger some regulatory alarms in the EU.

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