December 4, 2025
Locked and loaded outrage
Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame
Big brands lock your phone tight while users rage for real ownership
TLDR: A new “Wall of Shame” lists brands that block you from unlocking your phone’s core software, sparking outrage. Comments highlight that only Pixel and Nothing let users re-lock with their own keys, while debate rages over carrier versus device locks—because owning a phone should mean owning its software.
A community-built “Bootloader Unlock Wall of Shame” is naming and shaming phone makers that block the simple act of controlling your own device—aka unlocking the bootloader, the part that decides what software your phone will run. The list drags the usual giants (Apple, Samsung, Huawei) under “Just terrible!”, and calls out the “we care about your data 🥺” line as corporate theater. One commenter summed it up: “Insane how bad this has gotten,” as folks wonder how many freedoms get axed next.
Then came the bombshell: several users linked a “Wall of Fame” showing that only Google Pixel and Nothing currently let you re-lock your phone with your own security keys, which is the gold standard for true ownership. Cue meltdown, sarcasm, and memes. People joked it’s the “Unlock Hunger Games,” with exploits and tools—think “testpoints and potatoes” for PotatoNV—shared like contraband. The repo invites more workarounds and receipts: GitHub and Codeberg.
The biggest debate: carrier locks vs device locks. One confused comment asked why phone service locks would also block software freedom. The answer from the crowd: contracts and control—carriers and brands often lock both, and sometimes keep it locked even after the plan ends. Meanwhile, someone just yelled “fuck iqoo,” because it’s the internet.
Key Points
- •The article catalogs smartphone manufacturers by how they restrict or allow bootloader unlocking, with four severity categories.
- •“Just terrible!” brands make unlocking effectively impossible without workarounds; a broad list of OEMs is provided.
- •“Avoid at all costs!” brands allow unlocking only under certain conditions (region, model, SoC) or require tradeoffs.
- •“Proceed with caution!” brands require online accounts and/or waiting periods; “Safe for now” brands currently allow unlocking without noted online prerequisites.
- •Technical methods and exploits are listed for specific SoCs (Kirin, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Unisoc), including tools like mtkclient, PotatoNV, lkpatcher, EDLUnlock, and CVE-based Unisoc bypasses.