this post was submitted on 26 May 2026
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  • How can iodéOS (Lineage fork) be installed on phones with bootloaders locked?
  • Why would phones like the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017) and Note 9 appear on their list of phone that it can be installed on when it has "no" across the board on this list?
  • On phones with the bootloader locked, does it just sit on top of the existing android OS?

Sorry for all of the questions, but I am looking at as many options as possible available with a decent phone and camera long term to move away from Android and Google completely. I have done in the past, but looking for semi long term for when Android becomes locked down.

I just don't understand how they can create an installer that works with bootloader locked phones, and then the OS remain completely secure.

TIA

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[–] arthropod_shift@programming.dev 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)
  • How can iodéOS (Lineage fork) be installed on phones with bootloaders locked?

I just don't understand how they can create an installer that works with bootloader locked phones, and then the OS remain completely secure.

Barring exploits, phones with a locked bootloader can't be flashed with a different OS by design.

[–] copygirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Well, to be fair, I did in the past unlock my Fairphone's bootloader, and then re-lock it as per the iodéOS instructions. But, presumably, that only works with certain devices and certain OSes?

[–] homik@slrpnk.net 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

After you unlocked it, it was no longer locked, and you could do the install. It had to be unlocked for that part. Many phones have no available unlock.

[–] copygirl@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 2 months ago

Yeah, but it had a locked bootloader before that. So I was just adding that some phones have a procedure for that. (I had to get a unique unlock code from the Fairphone website, as far as I remember.) Not many, but they exist.

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 0 points 2 months ago (1 children)

it doesn't support phones with locked bootloader. i believe the list is talking about their fancy installer, even if it doesn't work one can probably manually install like any other custom rom

[–] frischkaesbagett@feddit.org 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I am on a fairphone with iode and a locked bootloader.

[–] hexagonwin@lemmy.today 6 points 2 months ago

i mean phones with manufacturer imposed bootloader locks that cannot be overriden by the user e.g. all samsung phones after OneUI8, verizon pixels..