Do NOT try this with T-mobile H932. You will brick your phone. H932 has different RSA encryption from the other North American variants and even the European variants.. To root T-Mobile H932 V30/V30+, go HERE.

Unlocking bootloader and rooting your LG V30/v30+/V30S does NOT remove any LG stock firmware features. That is a common question due to Sony phones. This is not a Sony phone.

WTF V30/V30+/V30S Bootloader Unlock and Root (MOST VARIANTS)

1) fastboot flash commands
2) LG Oreo with the bootloader unlock flaw. (Pre-July 2018 security patch firmware; don't worry, we can get you there.)

That's a WINNING combination.

Here's what we will be doing:

It's not complex. Will take you 20 minutes IF you're prepared with all necessary files downloaded.

• Convert to model with Oreo and fastboot flash commands, if you don't already have that. (Pre-July 2018 security patch firmware; don't worry, we can get you there.)
• Flash bootloader unlock code.
• Install TWRP. Confirm TWRP is installed.
• Flash "no encryption" file and "don't check root" file.
• Root.
• Done.

The instructions are detailed, yes, but the procedure itself isn't complex, really.

________________________________________

US998 Oreo, European H930 Oreo, H930DS Oreo, and open market V30S Oreo have the fastboot flash commands and boot loader unlock flaw. (With pre-July 2018 security patch firmware; don't worry, we can get you there.)

That's why you need to convert your V30/V30+ to one of those, if it's not already one of those. (Carrier-unlocked B&H Photo V30S are already ready.) North American variants V30/V30+ would use US998 Oreo, while the rest of the world V30/V30+ would use H930 or H930DS Oreo.

The rest of this post tells you how to do that, provides the tools and answers all your questions.

________

All credit goes to @TxanMoe who discovered this bootloader unlock exploit by accident. He shared it with us and even shot a video explaining it. He started out with an AT&T H931, ended up with bootloader unlocked, rooted US998.

He found the LG Oreo update to V30/V30+ has an XDA-friendly exploit which allows easy bootloader unlock and root for MOST V30/V30+ variants. Official carrier unlocked V30S can also use this trick. LG has now patched this with July 2018 security update, but you can temporarily downgrade back to earlier Oreo firmware.


(actual screenshot from @TxanMoe's video)

Even though it's fairly simple process (just flash fake bootloader unlock.bin file), there were requests for someone to write up the exact steps. So here goes.

Thank you also to @Wotta whose bootloader unlock and root guide I cribbed a lot of steps from. Please go to that link and thank him! I am giving him full credit for that section. I changed very little. He worked very hard to create that guide.

INTRODUCTION

In my opinion the LG V30/V30+ ("plus" only denotes more internal memory, nothing else) was the "Best Phone of 2017.

• 2017 Galaxy Note 8 comes in CLOSE second, but due to more comfortable size the V30 wins.
• With 2018 Galaxy S9 and S9+, again due to Goldilocks size V30/V30+ is my choice -- even though the 2018 phones have newer Snapdragon.
• The end-of-2017 V30/V30+ was really what the early-2017 LG G6 SHOULD have been, which LG crippled with their stupid "regionalized" specs scheme.
• Hardware-wise with Qi wireless charging, 3.5mm headset jack, quad DAC, and microSD slot, the "V30" series has features other phones like the 2017 Google Pixels SHOULD have. (Google forbids microSD slots, but they gave up Qi wireless and headset jack for no good reason when they were an early proponent of Qi wireless; Google razzed Apple in 2016 for ditching the headset jack, yet they did the same in 2017.)
• With 1440p OLED, Qi wireless, and IP68 dust/water resistance the LG V30 is what OnePlus PRETENDS to be. All top tier Androids (Samsung, LG, Motorola, HTC, Sony, etc.) have at least 1440p since 2014. Same with high IP ratings in the past year or so. OnePlus has no excuse for not having those features, IF they claim to be a premium phone.

The only negative to the V30 is LG doles out bootloader unlock to a special few variants -- with bootloader unlock code via LG Developer Bootloader Unlock website. LG approved IMEI with Device ID has to be proven to receive official bootloader unlock.bin which can be flashed via fastboot. Also, LG doesn't honor their own promises. They never gave bootloader unlock to the open market US998 V30+, and the open market US998 V30 only has LG bootloader unlock through hacking the dropdown menu of the website.

HOWEVER, @TxanMoe has discovered that with the Oreo updates, almost all V30/V30+ can now flash a fake (make your own) bootloader unlock code. (Also works with carrier unlocked V30S.) Then flash TWRP and root via Magisk -- just as if you had used LG's official bootloader unlock. Crazy, huh? But it works.

Starting with the July 2018 security patch, LG has blocked this exploit but you can revert to prior firmware with dev patched LGUP. HA!

________

WHO CAN UNLOCK THEIR BOOTLOADER AND ROOT USING THIS METHOD?

The better question is who can't? Only the T-mobile H932 can not. Do NOT try it with T-mobile H932. You will brick your phone. To root T-Mobile H932 V30/V30+, go HERE.

Who shouldn't? The South Korean carrier models can bootloader unlock and root -- but getting modem back is a couple extra steps:
EDIT: He says he's fixed it. Still, be careful with Korean carrier variants!
Everyone else with V30/V30+ can bootloader unlock, root, have working modems (and even more. I'll explain further down).

This is also confirmed to work with the new 2018 LG V30S -- which is just another V30 variant (shares the same code name JOAN) -- at least with B&H Photo official carrier unlocked model on pre-July 2018 security patch.

TLDR:

For the V30/V30+, flash the fake bootloader unlock.bin file into Oreo US998, Oreo H930 or Oreo H930DS. If you don't have one of those you convert your V30/V30+ to one of those models (via Frankenstein method) and then do that.

• All North America variants will use Oreo US998 KDZ -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  Do NOT try this with T-mobile H932. You will brick your phone.
  
• All H930G and will use H930 Oreo KDZ -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  
• For H930DS, you can use H930DS Oreo KDZ or H930 Oreo KDZ -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  India H930DS should use IND H930DS Oreo KDZ so they have have India-specific VoLTE. Need pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  
• South Korean carrier variants could also use H930 but be careful with modem. (There's more instructions Korean carrier variants here, thanks to @darkidz555 and @bilong9 for their help with this.)

Here's the newest self-made unlock.bin file from @TxanMoe:

Also, I attached it to this file to this post as a zipped file. Unzip it.

________

PREP

• Download/install LG Mobile Drivers for Windows.
  
• Download/install Windows ADB to Windows. When installing, right click on the .exe and "Run as Administrator". Temporarily disable antivirus when installing.
  Here are three different ADB installations to choose from:
  • Full ADB.
  • Google Minimal ADB
  • XDA dev minimal ADB v1.43
  
  If you can't get the new_unlock.bin to flash successfully, in the trouble shooting tips below we will ask you to try ANOTHER ADB installation.
  
• Enable known extensions on Windows PC. Also, make Windows Hidden Files and Folders visible.
  
• Download either US998 Oreo KDZ or European H930 Oreo KDZ, depending on the phone you have -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  * North American variants (AT&T H931, Canadian H933, Sprint LS998, Verizon VS996, etc) would use the US998 -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  * European H930G would use the H930 Oreo KDZ -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  * Most H930DS would use their region's Oreo -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  Alternatively, then either use the H930 Oreo KDZ (with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware) or the CIS H930DS Oreo KDZ.
  * India H930DS would use the IND H930DS Oreo KDZ. which has India-specific VoLTE for carriers like Jio -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware
  * If you have an original US998 or H930 and you are not yet on Oreo, you will also need to upgrade to that KDZ -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware. This trick does not work with Nougat.
  * V30S from B&H Photo with Oreo is already ready to go, as long as you have pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.
  
• Download current TWRP-3.2.3.0 from this page. Rename it TWRP. If you've enabled seeing known file extensions, you will really see TWRP.img. Do NOT add the ".img" -- it should already be there. If it's not, go enable "known file extensions" in Windows!
  
• Download @TxanMoe unlock.bin from this link or use the zipped file attached to this post. Unzip it, of course. This is the MAGIC.
  
• Download attached Magisk 17.1 or Magisk 16.0 (Only use stable Magisk 17.1 or 16.0 for root right now! Other Magisk may mess up your phone.)
  
• Download encryption disabler
  
• Download root checker disabler

(Put these last three on microSD card if you have it. If you don't, then drag these files over from PC later in TWRP and flash them.)

____________________

WHAT'S NEXT?

• If you have US998, H930, B&H Photo V30S and are on Oreo already -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware, then go to the next section.
  
• If you have US998 or H930 and are on Nougat, then use Upgrade in LGUP (attached to post #1 of both the US998 and H930 Oreo KDZ threads) to update to Oreo -- with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware. Now go to the next section.
  
• If you have any other North American variant than US998, then use the Frankenstein method to convert to Oreo US998. (Use only US998 20a or 20b firmware, no later. You can update to newer firmware after unlocking bootloader.)
  
  Read that post carefully; you have to flash to Nougat US998 first, THEN to Oreo US998. You can NOT avoid those steps. That post is my documentation for converting LS998 V30+ to US998 V30+. Adapt to your model.
  Now go to the next section.
  
• If you have European H930G just use LGUP to convert to open market H930 with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware. (KDZ and LGUP are in post #1 of that thread.) Use "upgrade" in LGUP. Now go to the next section.
  
  NOTE: All H930DS Oreo have fastboot flash commands. But you will need pre-July security patch firmware, like CIS H930DS Oreo KDZ... H930DS users will still have dual SIM functionality on both European H930 Oreo KDZ and this CIS H930DS Oreo KDZ.
  
  However, India H930DS users should use this [H930DS][STOCK][OREO]LG V30+ IND H930DS H930DS20b_00_OPEN_ESA_DS_OP_0530.kdz for India carrier VoLTE. This version of firmware is safe, as it pre-July 2018 security patch. You can upgrade to newer firmware later after bootloader unlock.

____________

LET'S GO

Confirm you’re in developer mode. If Settings doesn’t show Developer Options, go to Settings/About Phone/Software Info, click Build number 7 times.

As per the LG page, http://developer.lge.com/resource/mo...Bootloader.dev , confirm Developer Options “OEM Unlock” and “USB Debugging” are enabled.

Connect to USB and switch to Photo Transfer Mode. (If you’re a normal user, you probably default to USB. You need Photo.) A prompt will ask you to accept this PC to be authorized for USB Debugging.

On your PC, copy the new_unlock.bin you downloaded into your Android development tools directory (in my screenshots, sdk\platform-tools), and run:
adb devices
to ensure the device (and only the device) is listed. If it’s not listed, verify that Photo Transfer mode.


(This screenshot by @Wotta shows flashing unlock.bin. But you will really be flashing new_unlock.bin.)

Reboot phone into Fastboot mode
adb reboot bootloader
You should hear the Windows sounds of USB devices going and coming. And the phone has an odd screen.

From the same directory (Android tools),
fastboot flash unlock new_unlock.bin

THIS IS IT. This takes only a few seconds to run.

Reboot with: fastboot reboot
You will get entirely different start-up screens than normal -- with a warning that your device cannot be checked for corruption. (and a reference to http://g.co/ABH) This is just the "bootloader unlock warning" screen. It's just a scary picture LG shows you as the phone boots to discourage you from unlocking your bootloader. Ignore it. It will NOT prevent you from doing anything.

Your phone has now been hard reset.

Go through the initial phone setup options, to get to Android. Switch USB to Photo Transfer again.

You can verify that it’s unlocked either from the Developer Options – OEM Unlock is no longer available because it’s already unlocked, or by verifying Unlocked with getvar


(In a few days, the OEM Unlock option will be available again. It's just greyed out immediately after this process.)

________

INSTALLING TWRP AND ROOTING

Installing TWRP:
1. Switch back to developer mode, USB debugging. (OEM Unlock is now not selectable right now, greyed out. In a few days it will again be selectable.)
2. Switch USB to Photo again; default is charging.
3. As before, on your PC from the Android tools directory,
adb reboot bootloader
4. Fastboot flash recovery TWRP.img (Remember you re-named this to just TWRP earlier.)


(This screenshot by @Wotta shows a LONG TWRP name. Ignore that. We re-named it TWRP.img. Still it shows you the environment.)

Do NOT reboot your phone after flashing TWRP! Instead, immediately boot to TWRP by using this command: fastboot boot TWRP.img

Ignore the bootloader unlock warning. Eventually, a menu will appear.

Select to erase all data. You will be asked this several times; keep saying “Yes”.

Eventually you will boot into TWRP.

Somewhere about this time TWRP will ask for a password to decrypt. Just push "cancel".

6. Back up the system. This isn’t essential, but you’d be silly not to. (Has saved more than one person.)

a. In TWRP, set system writable (Swipe to allow modifications. Do NOT leave read-only, TWRP NEEDS to be able to make changes to your system.)
b. Select “back up”. Note there’s no data, because that partition is encrypted.
c. Select the SD card (or USB; I use a micro SD card.)
d. Back it up. This will take around seven minutes.

7. Now turn off data encryption and install essential items… all in TWRP:
(This is not a "menu" in TWRP, it's merely a list of what you NEED to do before booting to the OS)

a. Wipe Data – Factory Reset
b. Wipe Data – Format Data (Select WIPE, then FORMAT DATA, then select yes.)
Do NOT delete your OS, but you do need to FORMAT your data , not just "wipe" it. Otherwise you will get an encryption error when you boot up the first time.)
c. Reboot – "Reboot Recovery" from TWRP reboot menu (choose to reboot back to Recovery). Now that the data partition has been formatted, TWRP needs to reload the recovery partition for usage. If you skip this step, when Magisk is installed, it will detect that /data is still encrypted and set "preserve force encryption". This is also a good sanity check that encryption has been removed from /data. When you boot again into TWRP, it will ask if you want to set system to Read Only or Read/Write (you want to swipe and set to 'Read/Write') but it will no longer ask for a password to decrypt data (if you performed the format correctly).
d. Install – set storage to the External SD (if you have a microSD card)
e. Install the Magisk zip (only STABLE Magisk 16.0!)
f. Install the no-verity-opt-encrypt-6.0.zip
g. Install the LG-rctd-disabler-1.0.zip; this reduces LG root checks, which may impede performance.
h. Reboot – to System (NOW you are finally rebooting your phone! Until now this whole section has been done within TWRP.)[/LIST]
For e, f, g files if you didn't put these on a microSD card, then drag these three files over from PC to TWRP and flash/install them.

(Thanks to @jdgesmlls for helping to re-write that previous section to clarify better)

If booting fails with an encryption error, did you format (b above) the partition? If not, reinstall TWRP (except you don't need to backup again) and do both the wipe and format.

You will now have to set up the phone again, but should have root (via Magisk 17.1 or 16.0.)

STRONG SUGGESTION: After successfully doing all this, when you finally boot back to LG Oreo, install an app like this to easily facilitate rebooting to TWRP recovery in the future: Recovery Reboot


TLDR:

• flash twrp: fastboot flash TWRP.img (TWRP-3.2.3.0-tfp.img re-named as just "TWRP.img")
• boot twrp: fastboot boot TWRP.img (TWRP-3.2.3.0-tfp.img re-named as just "TWRP.img")
• swipe to allow modifications (do NOT leave read-only, TWRP NEEDS to be able to make changes to your system.)
• select WIPE, then also FORMAT DATA, then write yes
• wipe cache, dalvik, data
• flash magisk 17.1 or 16.0.
• flash encryption disabler
• flash root disabler
• reboot

STRONG SUGGESTION: After successfully doing all this, when you finally boot back to LG Oreo, install an app like this to easily facilitate rebooting to TWRP recovery in the future: Recovery Reboot

________
TROUBLE SHOOTING

MOST people have no problems. If you do, look through this list.

1) You can't flash the new-unlock.bin code.
If you were on North America non-US998 variant, which you converted to US998, look at your current "About Phone". You want to confirm you're on Oreo US998 with pre-July 2018 security patch firmware.

2) You can't flash the new_unlock.bin code or you can't flash TWRP.
* Look in your ADB folder and confirm all known Windows file extensions enabled.
* Confirm all Windows hidden files and folders are visible.

If that doesn't help, try this:

3) Confirm USB debugging is on in Developer Options, and your PC has authorization.
4) Install another version of ADB.
5) Re-install LG mobile drivers.
6) Try another USB cable.
7) Try installing this Windows driver found attached to this post. (Thanks to @gazzacbr and @FZZF for mentioning this.)
8) Try another USB port on your computer.
9) Reboot the computer.
10) Try another computer. (THIS seems to always solve the problem. Find an an old Win7 PC.)
11) Master Reset (full reset of phone using hardware buttons). Phone will be reset anyway after bootloader unlock. Doing it prior may fix something preventing the command from working.
_________________________

EXTRAS - MODEMS, RESTORING VARIANT FIRMWARE

If you now have bootloader unlocked, rooted "US998" (either actual or converted) you will have these bands:

http://www.lg.com/us/cell-phones/lg-US998-Unlocked-v30
US998
CDMA: 800 MHz CDMA
2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS (HSPA):850/900/1900/2100 MHz
4G LTE Bands: 1/2/3/4/5/7/12(17)/13/20/25/66

If you have"H930" (either actual or converted), you will either have these bands:
2G GSM: 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G (HSPA): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
4G LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/8/12/17/20/28/38

Or if H930DS you will have your same H930DS modem bands.

For Verizon customers, download and install @westwood24's TWRP-flashable stock "ROM", based on VS996 KDZ to get Verizon voice mail and Wi-Fi calling. When you go to that thread, PLEASE thank @westwood24 for his efforts, even consider donating some money. He recently spent 4 weeks in the hospital!

After flashing it in TWRP, then just re-install Magisk 17.1 or 16.0. After installing this you should also have Verizon "advanced calling" too. If not:

________

Want more? Sprint user @JWnSC wanted his Sprint LTE bands 26 & 41 back after he converted his LS998 to US998, then bootloader unlocked and rooted it... See this thread created by @JWnSC for more information. It's dedicated for Sprint users.

Mostly you would want to do this if you variant you need has bands that the "converted" US998 phone does not. NO, you cannot flash T-mobile modem over any of these. T-mobile modem partition has different RSA encryption. But you can flash other modems.
______________

Korean variant owners should follow these instructions by @darkidz555.

@bilong9 has made a helpful video for for Korean carrier variants:
https://youtu.be/qH7jwrCcHu8

Read more in this thread for the Korean carrier models, created by @darkidz555.