Samsung seems to be trying to discourage users from editing software on their new Galaxy Z Fold 3s, sending a message that unlocking the phone’s bootloader will make the phone’s camera unusable. Will be used. Android Police.). This isn’t the first time we’ve seen phone makers do such a thing, but Samsung seems to represent an increase in the fight against its users who want to take full control of their phones.
An XDA Forums user confirms that after unlocking the bootloader, ZFold 3’s cameras were completely inactive: facial recognition, camera uploading, and testing third-party camera apps were all theirs. Failed for The user reports that re-locking the bootloader causes the cameras to work again.
According to a photo posted by a forum member (seen above), users receive when they try to unlock their Z-Fold 3 bootloader.
Unlock the bootloader to install custom operating system software. Doing so will disable the camera and your phone or apps may stop working properly. To prevent unauthorized access to your personal data, your phone will be factory reset, which will erase all data, including files and downloaded apps.
Increase volume: Yes.
Unlock bootloader (warranty may be void)
Volume down: no.
Do not unlock the bootloader and do not restart the phone.
(Factory reset is usually standard after the bootloader is unlocked, as is the possibility of a lost warranty.)
While this may be an addition, Samsung previously had a somewhat unfriendly attitude towards modders. Samsung’s Knox documents state that if you root your phone and flash it with the unofficial Android build, anything related to its Knox security will be permanently disabled, and Restore only if you change the phone’s hardware. This means that if you root your Samsung phone, features like Samsung Pay and Secure Folder will never work again. Obviously, this doesn’t happen if you only unlock your phone’s bootloader – it only happens after making changes to your phone’s OS (although doing so is the main reason for unlocking your bootloader) , So it’s probably a distinction without much difference).
While this is definitely more destructive and permanent, you could also argue that it’s not unreasonable to give up Samsung Pay and Secure Folder if you really want root access to your phone. Losing one’s ability to take pictures is a big question. Also, unless Samsung changes the way Knox works, it will also turn off these features after unlocking your Fold 3, leaving you with a phone that I have no camera, no NFC payment, and no secure folder (not that you can take any sensitive photos. Anyway).
There are some ways in which it makes sense to turn off features for root users. In the case of Knox, the phone does not know what code is running on the phone, so it cannot promise any security. In the same vein, it would not be unreasonable if Samsung did not allow you to use the Fold 3’s Facial Recognition Unlock feature. But it’s hard to see how turning off the cameras completely is a punishment for users who want to upgrade their phones.
If you’re a US-based Samsung customer, though, you’ll have to work harder to deal with these issues – because Samsung is reportedly trying to open bootloaders on Snapdragon-based phones sold in the US. Does not allow There are services you can pay to claim to unlock your US phone’s bootloader, but this is not a relatively simple process found on the global version of the phone.
At the moment, it’s not clear if the Galaxy Z Flip 3 will have the same range, although one of the XDA Forum members posted a picture of the unlocked bootloader screen on his Flip and did not mention the cameras in the notice. went. Samsung did not immediately respond. EdgeQuestions whether the policy also applies to Philip, or provides a statement about the policy in general.