New Galaxy S4 VRUAME7 OTA Is Unrootable and Includes A More Secure Bootloader

[DroidModderX]

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Verizon has managed to alienate the 1% again. They snuck out an update which not only unroots your Galaxy S4, but also replaces your bootloader with a much more secure bootloader. The new bootloader takes away the old root method. It will not allow you to flash the prerelease kernel or any kernel at all. It also prevents you from even downgrading your bootloader to the original VRUAMDK firmware. If you have already taken this update you are out of luck for now.

There is a glimmer of hope. A thread over at XDA right now is offering a growing bounty for anyone who can either unlock the bootloader of the Galaxy S4, or root the device with the new firmware. Generally developers will release exploits and root methods free of charge with absolutely no expectation of anything in return. Hopefully the bounty will motivate a few security experts who wouldn't normally work on a root method to jump in and find the exploit that is needed.

It just doesn't seem fair for Verizon and Samsung to snatch Root right out from under us. Many of us actually need root to use some of the apps that we have paid for. Check out the bounty thread at the link below. I have already pledged $10.

Via XDA

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[dezymond]

I'm sure a workaround will be revealed by the end of the week at least. When it comes to root, the dev community works quickly.

 

[skennelly]

Verizon was always updating the bootloader on the DROID x. Wasn't a big deal with that phone simply because it was always locked, it just made it so you couldn't downgrade the software. What confuses me is why they are doing this with the s4 and never once tried to pull this with the s3? Maybe it has to do with the fact that the s3 had the leaked file from Samsung?

 

[themuttt]

I still don't get the point of this lockdown BS. Are they really protecting their network or the phones? sure as hell doesn't seem that way to me

 

[Yellowhammer]

I still don't get the point of this lockdown BS. Are they really protecting their network or the phones? sure as hell doesn't seem that way to me

While rooting, some users screw up their phone and don't know how to fix them, so they return them to the store. I don't know if that's a significant cost for VZW or not. It was happening a lot with the DroidX forums. I remember people who lacked patience, and announced their intention to swap the phone at the store rather than fix it. :angry:

 

[themuttt]

While rooting, some users screw up their phone and don't know how to fix them, so they return them to the store. I don't know if that's a significant cost for VZW or not. It was happening a lot with the DroidX forums. I remember people who lacked patience, and announced their intention to swap the phone at the store rather than fix it. :angry:

but with an unlocked bootloader, it could easily be returned to stock and returned to the customer, or at least that is my understanding. It would be less cost for VZW than swapping phones. Plus I still believe that one should be allowed to root the phone to have it do more than the carriers/manufacturer intended, but it is still your risk. Put a turbo on a car and blow the engine and it is your fault, not the dealer or the manu

 

[cybertec69]

This is not only Verizon but Samsung has lots of money riding on this, if they left the device open for the developers, it would mean the Developer edition sold by Samsung would not sell at all. Also the Knox security feature I believe has something to do with this lockdown.

 

[dezymond]

but with an unlocked bootloader, it could easily be returned to stock and returned to the customer, or at least that is my understanding. It would be less cost for VZW than swapping phones. Plus I still believe that one should be allowed to root the phone to have it do more than the carriers/manufacturer intended, but it is still your risk. Put a turbo on a car and blow the engine and it is your fault, not the dealer or the manu

Agreed. It is a risk that is all on the owner of the phone and their choice to root/mod their phone or not. Yes it is completely the users fault if they were to mess things up but with how easy it is to basically erase any trace of root after say a blown speaker due to speaker mods (sound boosters), vzw gets screwed over in giving said user a CLNR or even a brand new phone for newer devices. There's no way to prove that the user was at fault and therefore vzw loses money, possibly not much, but it's a "scam" they're trying to prevent.

At least that's the reason why they're pushing so hard to lock down their phones, imo. Every Verizon employee knows about root by now and have seen some of the craziest things when it comes to rooted devices, they're just trying to protect themselves from any potential losses. Whether it's a few cents or a few hundred, a loss is a loss.

 

[boidsonly]

As soon as T-Mobile has a phone that I want, I am leaving VZW and my unlimited data plan. If all goes well with T-Mobile, the wife will then follow me; at that point VZW will never see us again...

 

[delcopa]

Verizon SUCKS with the stupid locks on the phones. You think they would learn by now nothing is hack proof. They just delay it and what is worse most people do not even hack or mod their phones but they go through all the trouble for what.

You should be able to do what you want with the phones when you can end up paying over $600 if not subsidized but hell even $200 with a lock in for 2 years is too much for a phone that you can;t do what you want with. When they start giving out FREE phones they can keep ownership and then lock it down. But until then free the phones!