Damn that sucks. I only buy phones that allow unlocking. Currently on a OP8T. Probably going used Pixel/GrapheneOS next, but really a usable Linux phone can't come soon enough.
this post was submitted on 16 Aug 2025
175 points (99.4% liked)
Android
31558 readers
176 users here now
DROID DOES
Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.
The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:
Rules
1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.
2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.
3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.
4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.
5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.
6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.
7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.
8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.
Community Resources:
We are Android girls*,
In our Lemmy.world.
The back is plastic,
It's fantastic.
*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.
Our Partner Communities:
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
I've been running GrapheneOS on a pixel8a for about a month now and its fine. Came from iphone so it's probably an easier transition for people who have used android before.
isnt google walling in thier OS soon, and it seems other phone makers are following suit.
Yeah, seems like bad times ahead. Definitely looking forward to that Linux phone.
i considered doing it, but im not a tech saavy person so i just use the stock android on OP12R. i just dint like SAMSUNG and pixel, consider thier heavy invesmetn AI, while sacrificing what makes thier phone different.
Do you have the beautiful blue one?? That’s the prettiest phone to me! I have one as well but I don’t use it anymore, still have it with Lineage as a backup just in case
It's a kind of turquoise/blue? It is a nice color, but I got that one only because it was cheaper. I keep it in a case anyway :).
Whaaaat
Mfers I bought the phone, I do whatever the hell i want with it
As long as your allowed to sadly.
Not in their eyes.
Phones already literally come with a EULA. The wording may or may not be the same, but the intent is.
You don't own your phone, you silly thing. What you own is an unexclusive and transferrable (for now, Teslas don't even have that for example) licence to use most features of the phone.
Low battery?
.99 centers to unlock 10 percent battery boost.
i bought it for its cheaper than the flagship phones, im guessing thats why people switch to OP, they probably want people to keep buying thier new phones each cycle, and not have a modded phone that you will stay on forever.
Sure- or they're tired of Samsung's bullshit. I was going to buy the S25 Ultra outright on release day but then they cut the wireless functionality of the S Pen in favor of their bullshit AI so I decided to cut my support for Samsung and bought a OP13 instead.
I was considered the older S ultra, or the budget samsung, but i was swayed away from thier chip designs. i tempted an OP13/R, but i decided to try out 12r instead to see how the phone was.
The writing's been on the wall since they swapped to ColorOS with Android 12 and the bootloader update that came with it that no longer supports relocking, along with the delayed/nonexistent source code releases for the kernel.
It's very sad that basically the only real option is Google's Pixels, and even there the tides are turning.
Sony is still an option! my Xperia is dead easy to unlock and it has a headphone jack and sd card slot. they're just a bit of a hassle to find since they only sell in select markets :p
Doesn't unlocking the bootloader on an Xperia wipe some proprietary camera thing or something?
I bought qn Xperia 5 two years ago. Im due to upgrade because the screen cracked and dont feel like paying $400 to repair it. Im so mad they dont sell to the US since Xperia 6
I'm satisfied with the relocked bootloader on my Fairphone.
Unless you need fucky security chips made in the land of National Security Letters.
Fairphone4 qualcom no longer updates it's drivers. Might as well be walking around with free access to your phone.
How the mighty have fallen. I got my OnePlus One in 2015 with CyanogenMod preinstalled (although I reinstalled the vanilla OS after, and rooted it easily). Enshitification indeed, no brand is safe.
Ok then, I'm out.
Bootloader apartheid great
Why doesn't google lock their bootloader? It's a testing device for other companies?
Was a OnePlus user for years. Had the original device, the 3, 5 and the 7 pro since launch. I replaced the battery in my 7 pro and put lineage on it just to keep it going.
My idiot brain jumped off a boat last week with it in my pocket and I assumed I would just get the new one. But no unlockable bootloader means I need to look elsewhere.
One Plus was really impressive at first but like everything, at some point companies want to make a profit. I also had the original and the 3, but that was it.
true, OP was your semi-budget phones with some of the flagship feature, that was thier selling point. im guessing if samsung, and google is locking down thier phones, OP thought it can force people to constantly get newer phones down the line.
Nothing phone seems to be the best choice today. A few models, so notmuch choice, but solid hardware unbloated android and unlockable bootloader.
I own a 3a and am pretty happy. Bulky and heavy tough.