Motorola RAZR will have a bootloader unlock solution for international versions

By Jerry Hildenbrand  | Oct 23 2011 | 2:39 pm  | 38 Comments

RAZR

Possible good news here if you've been eyeing the Motorola RAZR, and live outside the U.S. -- Motorola has confirmed to the folks at Ausdroid that the RAZR will be the first Motorola phone to offer a bootloader unlock solution.  This comes with a "gotcha" though -- carriers have the option to have this removed from the phone's firmware, and Verizon has opted to have it taken out.  I'll give you a moment to curse softly under your breath.

We shouldn't be surprised at Verizon's decision -- the phone is more secure with a secure bootloader.  That point can't be argued.  If we stop and think for a minute though, this means that phones that are almost identical to the Droid RAZR will have factory code from Motorola to unlock the bootloader, ripe for the picking.  Developers have a new avenue to explore, and if you were willing to unlock your bootloader in the first place, you shouldn't balk at a method found by hackers to get it done.  We'd like to see both a secure and unlockable option offered, but we'll take whatever we can get.  Let's keep our fingers crossed that an unlockable version of the RAZR falls into the right hands -- I think it will.

Source: Ausdroid

Jerry Hildenbrand Cowboy

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There are 38 comments. Add yours.

JayPhill89 says:

That is some major BS. How does verizon expect to be selling a Nexus device but not open it up to people.

Blah says:

This isn't a Nexus device.

Benny879 says:

Where does it say the Nexus is locked? I've actually heard that the G-Nex is unlocked on Verizon. The proper question is why unlock the Nexus but not do the same for the Razr?

mitchsurp says:

I've been waiting to unlock my RAZRs bootloader since 2005. It's about time.

FanDroid619 says:

LOL You just made my day! Thank you

Yakuzahi says:

I really hope that the boot loader will be open on the Nexus.

Meister_Li says:

I will be carefully enthusiastic about this news. The Razr looks quite nice, but I don't really trust Motorola very much. We'll see how much this "unlock" will actually unlock, I guess.

jerrod6 says:

This is why no one trusts Verizon. I am planning to get the Galaxy Nexus and I am afraid Verizon will have it hampered and possibly with some of their blur interface or widgets. They just can't be trusted to do the right thing for their customers.. they are only willing to do what's best for them.

EvanJ18 says:

What?

FanDroid619 says:

...eh!?

El Jefe says:

Huh? How would Motoblur get on a Samsung manufactured phone? Do you even know what you are talking about?

The Galaxy Nexus wouldn't be a Nexus phone if it weren't stock Android. Stop trying to spread FUD.

d-backs1 says:

the nexus is made by samsung which doesn't use blur.

donkey2 says:

To bad u can't buy non-carrier unsubsidized cdma razr, with the unlockable bootloader. Maybe buy it straight from moto... that would friggin' nice.

MowDownJoe says:

But-but-but... I thought Motorola was just passing the buck onto the carriers...

Meister_Li says:

They still are, as Samsung, LG and HTC apparently are still able to offer unlocks/have unlocked boot loaders despite Carriers.

jmc2543 says:

You guys really are a bright batch aren't you? The reason the Nexus is unlocked is because it is a true Google device, or a dev phone, it will always have an unlocked bootloader. As far as the razar goes, its because Verizon doesn't want it unlocked. They do this so they can shorten the life of the device and get more money, also to keep the device from being broken.
Personally I think the only reason VZ is taking this device on is because they don't have a better holiday phone, or should I say there is no phone that could beat the Google Nexus phones in sales. VZW is the biggest liberal wireless company in the US, don't expect anything they ever do to be truely for the customer, something they may do may make us happy but it wasn't for us, it was for their bottom line.

d-backs1 says:

With a locked bootloader it is more likely to get "broken" than an unlocked bootloader. Bootloader has nothing to do with the bloatware that they put on to make money. The razr will be a good phone what phone on any other carrier beats it? It will probably outsell the nexus simply because verizon will put their droid advertising behind this.

Roland Stone says:

I have yet to see any official announcement from either Google or Verizon that the Galaxy Nexus as sold by VZW will have an unlocked or unlockable bootloader. Sure every ASSumes it will but where is the official confirmation?

FanDroid619 says:

LOL Wow! So much for our "freedom" here in America! HAHA. All I hear and read from our fellow tech junkies in Europe, Asia, and Canada are about how archaic and ridiculous our mobile tech industry has become in comparison to theirs. :-/

nerdydesi says:

Actually, isn't Canada's wireless industry even worse than what we have in the U.S? For instance, they have 3 year contracts, ugh!

skyboxer says:

Yeah let's be careful to not get these 2 phones mixed up. I see a lot of confusion in the above posts.

branon says:

But the fact remains that if i pay $600 for the unlocked one from amazon, they still might send me the razr flip phone which is still selling there.

Masheen says:

And this all started because some idiot thought the razr was the Nexus... Lol

donkey2 says:

I hate it when I'm told what i can and can't do...let make my own decisions. Right or wrong, i want the dang choice.

hybrid86 says:

I have not recommended a single Motorola phone to anyone I know since they started doing this, nor will I ever again until they stop.

Sorry motorola. You may think that only a minority of geeks care about this, and that's very true, but guess what? When the general consumer base goes looking for a phone, guess who the first person they ask is? For every 20 sales you make, 15 of them asked "their friend's geeky son" which they should buy.

vinny jr says:

Verizon just doesn't make any sense to me, Here they are putting out the new Nexus but are locking the Razr up as tite as a ducks ass. What are they doing? I will have that razr's bootloader unlocked, rooted and running a custom Rom. Just when you think Verzon might be letting up they throw conflicting practices at us. They will never change, I'm willing to bet they will pull some crap with the New Nexus. Maybe load it up with all their crap ware, they better not or I will be very pissed off at Google for allowing Verizon to screw with pure Android. Just Venting and thinking at the same time. We can only hope.

d-backs1 says:

You really think you will unlock the bootloader when NO read it NO verizon moto phone's bootloader has been cracked? Yes you can root and run custom roms but that isnt the bootloader and you still can't run custom kernels.

Xroid says:

RAZR will be the first Motorola phone to offer a bootloader unlock solution. That one thing could change the fact that no Verizon Moto phone has been cracked. So he just might.

loooney2ns says:

I wonder if 2nd init will work on the Razr?

Uber Googler says:

Just a short statement for Motorola/Verizon...

I. Won't. Be. Getting. This. Phone.

Have a nice day.

nerdydesi says:

Thanks a lot Verizon! You give me another reason to hate you. Too bad my unlimited LTE with you is so delicious or I'd drop you in a heartbeat. > : (

nerdydesi says:

Let people mess around with their phone. Mostly techies will do it and they realize they are voiding the warranty on their phones and will likely not complain to Verizon if they mess up. Or do they and thus why Verizon is doing this?

Cruiserdude says:

I hate to say it but this phone will still likely sell very well. Its a great phone for the 90% (pulled out of my ass) of smartphone users that don't ever pull their battery and have no idea what a bootloader is. It looks like pretty solid hardware, quite durable, and finally a Moto phone with a good screen. Sure, I think its ridiculous that VZW and Moto still insist on locked bootloaders for those particular phones when everything else is unlocked or unlockable, and I don't want one. I would imagine that most everyone here feels the same way, especially with the Nexus coming out at the same time. However, its an interesting design and solid hardware, that VZW and Moto can market the shit out of to unsuspecting customers who barely even know what rooting is. Meanwhile informed consumers like us will all purchase the Nexus, which is likely what VZW fully intends.

Gunner says:

If I can unlock the Razr and load ICS on it, I'd probably take it over the SGN. If not, then you can keep it Moto.

Darkseider says:

This is why I left Verizon and will NEVER buy a Motorola device ever again. I am more than happy on T-Mo with my G2X. Service is great, device is awesome and last but not least fully open to do with what you will. Oooh and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Verizon.

318sugarhill says:

Yes, but outside a major city, the service SUCKS! It makes no sense to me. This goes against everything I thought Android was about and why I still love my Dinc. Yes, you can still root, remove bloatware, and even run some custom Roms. But with the boot loader locked I can't change radios, splash screens or kernels. Everything that makes me love my droid over an idont.

The ability to change Roms for different uses is the GREATEST thing about my phone. I have 3 different Roms stored and backed up that get rotated on a regular basis depending on where I am, and what I am doing. One is for convenience and battery life. One is setup for performance, while the 3rd is more of a wow factor to show others. Point is, it's my choice, not theirs. I can do ANYTHING with a locked boot loader to violate my contract that I can do with an unlocked one. I hate Moto and their passing the buck on VZW (even if this is what VZW prefers). FInd me one Samsung with a locked bootloader and you can make a case.

Darkseider says:

I haven't had any issues at all with T-mobile anywhere I have been in NJ, NY or PA. Hell I was in the US Virgin Islands a couple months back and had service there as well! With the ever expanding networks of all the mobile carriers whether it be HSPA, HSPA+, HSDPA, HSDPA+, LTE, WiMAX, etc... They all have great service. Not to mention with T-Mo when I am home, in a hotel, etc... I just switch to WIFI and use the calling over WIFI feature included with T-Mo phones for free.

fantlash says:

People are complaining so much and for what? That is why we have freedom of choice. Every smartphone that is made will not make everyone totally satisfied. If the Razr came unlocked with ICS people would still find something to complain about. If what Moto is doing makes you dissatisfied then go with the Nexus or iPhone or whatever. All I see is complaints about every new smartphone that comes out. I also here complaints about Verizon as well. Once again freedom of choice. If Verizon is not for you for whatever reason then go to another carrier.