They care about your data, which is why they’ve taken steps to ensure they always have access to the data that they care so much about.

So..almost every company.. It would have been easier to make a list about the companies who do allow bootloader unlock

Samsung? I'm pretty sure I saw bootloader unlocking in developer options though...

DO NOT UPDATE to OneUI 8

Checks System Info

OH SHIT.

The Amazon Fire Phone is conspicuously absent from this list.

Wait what, Energizer makes phones?

Smhhh

I find this blurb on Pixels interesting:

OTAConfigNoZeroTouchPrebuilt is an app on Pixels that checks for a carrier lock. When a Pixel first connects to the internet, this system app will immediately check if the device is carrier locked. If it's not or is locked to a carrier that doesn't restrict unlocking, it will retrieve a token from Google's servers which will allow bootloader unlocks. If the token cannot be received, then the bootloader cannot be unlocked. This means if Google's servers ever go down, you will not be able to unlock your Pixel's bootloader, as it won't have the token.

Mostly because unlocking the bootloader and rooting my Pixel 9 Pro was the very first thing I did to it before installing my SIM card (yes, I still use a physical one). I also skipped the wifi setup.

Edit: in all seriousness, this is a handy list.

Are we sure about the Fairphone? I set one up with LineageOS the other day and had no issues, nor did I have to register anywhere, as far as I can remember.

Mentioning Apple just seems redundant? iPhones don’t have custom firmware, at least not current ones. I think you could install Android on a 3GS, but it wouldn’t be current.

No one’s buying an iPhone to unlock the bootloader, they’re doing it because it’s what others have, they use other Apple tech, or they want a decade of updates (that lose features).

Huh, I went into this thinking of Pokémon fanroms

fantastic resource, thanks for sharing!

Yeah, I dunno how accurate, let alone comprehensive, this repo of shame is.

From: https://github.com/zenfyrdev/bootloader-unlock-wall-of-shame/blob/main/brands/cat/README.md

Cat's phones have the OEM Unlock option in the settings app, but the typical fastboot flashing unlock/fastboot oem unlock just returns an unknown command error.

They didn't bother to list what model they tested before deeming the entire brand "Terrible". I have two CAT S22 Flips (still daily driving one of them), and both of them unlocked immediately with the fastboot command and without requiring an unlock key.

Mostly moot, though. You can still get CAT phones on the secondhand market but Bullit Group (the manufacturer of their branded phones) went out of business in April 2024.

I'm honestly not sure why you'd buy a phone from a tractor company anyways.

Because their phones are rugged AF and nearly indestructible.

The effort is appreciated and while some brands can definitely be undoubtedly terrible (like Apple which doesn't have a single phone the expressively allow you to unlock), many brands have a mix of phones that allow unlocking.

I'd much rather have a long table I can filter and sort than just a blanket "this brand is terrible and should be avoided". Also, that verdict should be reached by a list of common criteria with a point system. It should just be the author of a page that decides a company's rating.