Help with "new" s5 replacement phone

[rostar17]

Recently bought a replaced for my wife's dead s3 with a supposedly new unused non-dev s5. Arrived in perfect physical condition and CID starts with 15 but recovery screen revealed it has been OTA updated to 6.0.1 PF4. Can the bootloader be unlocked or downgraded then unlocked ?

 

[enmanuel255]

Recently bought a replaced for my wife's dead s3 with a supposedly new unused non-dev s5. Arrived in perfect physical condition and CID starts with 15 but recovery screen revealed it has been OTA updated to 6.0.1 PF4. Can the bootloader be unlocked or downgraded then unlocked ?

Yes! You can unlock the bootloader. Not problem with your bootloader version. Try this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve.../testers-required-easier-root-method-t3561529

 

[rostar17]

Yes! You can unlock the bootloader. Not problem with your bootloader version. Try this:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/ve.../testers-required-easier-root-method-t3561529

I saw that but isn't that just loading roms through safestrap? The bootloader itself remains locked then correct? Also won't safestrap will eat up what little storage she has on a 16g phone (couldn't find 32g).
Thanks

 

[bbsc]

I saw that but isn't that just loading roms through safestrap? The bootloader itself remains locked then correct? Also won't safestrap will eat up what little storage she has on a 16g phone (couldn't find 32g).
Thanks

People unlock bootloaders for to boot non-native kernels, not to load/flash ROMs.
Safestrap "eats" very little space, 20 MB on /data or so. EMMC partitioning remains the same and you don't really see what's free there on /system.
It's used for unlocking process and there's no need to keep it further in the system.

 

[rostar17]

People unlock bootloaders for to boot non-native kernels, not to load/flash ROMs.
Safestrap "eats" very little space, 20 MB on /data or so. EMMC partitioning remains the same and you don't really see what's free there on /system.
It's used for unlocking process and there's no need to keep it further in the system.

Thanks for clarifying. I have used safestrap before on others phones as a work around for locked bootloader phones. There I was using the ROM slots so of course consuming memory. Does using this method restrict what you can load for kernels and ROMs vs bootloader unlocking in kitkat versions?

 

[bbsc]

Thanks for clarifying. I have used safestrap before on others phones as a work around for locked bootloader phones. There I was using the ROM slots so of course consuming memory. Does using this method restrict what you can load for kernels and ROMs vs bootloader unlocking in kitkat versions?

ROM slots do not work for SM-G900V.
Everything is simple:
- If your phone has CID15 (check with EMMC Brickbug Check from the Market) then you can unlock it's bootloader and use non-native kernels (say, LOS kernel, TWRP, custom kernels and ROMs that require custom non-Verizon kernels).
- If your phone has CID11 then you cannot unlock the bootloader and you're restricted to native Verizon-Samsung kernels for any Android version. This means no root on 6.0.1 also because you need a modified kernel for to have root on 6.0.1 and above.

That method restricts nothing itself. It's only a modern method of installing a custom ROM and unlocking the bootloader, if possible.
The files like bla-bla-bla-Bootloader_Unlock_AIO.zip usually contain a tool for bootloader unlocking. It's convenient to apply them from Safestrap Recovery.
It's also convenient to flash custom ROMs from Safestrap Recovery.
Safestrup Recovery itself needs root to be installed.
Root itself may be easily gained on Combination 4.4 ROM for any CID.

 

[rostar17]

ROM slots do not work for SM-G900V.
Everything is simple:
- If your phone has CID15 (check with EMMC Brickbug Check from the Market) then you can unlock it's bootloader and use non-native kernels (say, LOS kernel, TWRP, custom kernels and ROMs that require custom non-Verizon kernels).
- If your phone has CID11 then you cannot unlock the bootloader and you're restricted to native Verizon-Samsung kernels for any Android version. This means no root on 6.0.1 also because you need a modified kernel for to have root on 6.0.1 and above.

That method restricts nothing itself. It's only a modern method of installing a custom ROM and unlocking the bootloader, if possible.
The files like bla-bla-bla-Bootloader_Unlock_AIO.zip usually contain a tool for bootloader unlocking. It's convenient to apply them from Safestrap Recovery.
It's also convenient to flash custom ROMs from Safestrap Recovery.
Safestrup Recovery itself needs root to be installed.
Root itself may be easily gained on Combination 4.4 ROM for any CID.

Thanks again for the help. At present there are several posts about unlocking bootloaders and rooting but they are not all up to date and trying to decypher what applies to later verizon (PF4) OTA MM firmware was confusing. I guess I will keep the phone since I can unlock bootloader and load what I want with root. Looking for the unicorn phone (factory new untouched) is elusive to say the least.