A few days ago we brought you word that Google was looking to crack down on “sideloaded” Android applications. That is, software packages installed from outside of the mobile operating …
Luckily my old phone still works (it is starting to show its age though). Gonna stretch it as long as possible. Hopefully someone will find a hack by then.
Yeah that’s their excuse, luckily the law explicitly says that:
(19) Verification by radio equipment of the compliance of its combination with software should not be abused in order to prevent its use with software provided by independent parties.
My Note 20 Ultra (US) came out like 5+ years ago and you can’t unlock the bootloader. There was a workable hack job that was possible for a little while, but even that got patched up through a firmware update back in like 2021, and there’s no way to roll back firmware anymore, either.
Since when is this the case?
Since OneUI 8.0.
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Dammit :(
Further reading says its most likely because European Union law 2014/53/EU which imposes new cybersecurity requirements on device manufacturers like Samsung. They must ensure that the devices they sell in Europe block the installation of unauthorized software and only run signed and approved ROMs. . Law was enforced August 01 2025.
Luckily my old phone still works (it is starting to show its age though). Gonna stretch it as long as possible. Hopefully someone will find a hack by then.
Yeah that’s their excuse, luckily the law explicitly says that:
https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32014L0053
Seems like a cheap excuse, the law doesn’t say specifically that.
But, of course, manufacturers like to lock down their devices as much as possible. And such laws play into their hands.
My Note 20 Ultra (US) came out like 5+ years ago and you can’t unlock the bootloader. There was a workable hack job that was possible for a little while, but even that got patched up through a firmware update back in like 2021, and there’s no way to roll back firmware anymore, either.