The
European H850 can now be officially unlocked through LG's developer unlock program page.
Yes, only the European version. Your H850 is from the Middle East? Won't work. You have an AT&T G5? That's not an H850, move along.
LG Developer Unlock Site Here
1. European LG G5 H850
2. Computer w/ADB & Fastboot. ADB/Fastboot for Windows
here. ADB/Fastboot for Linux/OS X
here.
3. Basic knowledge of ADB, Fastboot and Windows command prompt or Linux/OS X terminal.
4. Device IMEI. This 15-digit code can be found on your box, the back of the phone or by dialing *#06#
5. LG developer account (free,
click here then click sign in at the top of the page to make an account.)
Directions:
LG's official bootloader unlock directions can be found in the big link at the top of the page..
but I've still rewritten the steps out below while adding some for root and TWRP.
1. Enable USB-Debugging on your phone. USB-Debugging is required for the commands “adb” and “fastboot” to work. To enable USB-Debugging, go to Settings >> About phone >> Software info and tap Build number 7 times. Return to the previous screen, select Developer options and enable USB-Debugging.
2. Enable OEM unlock on your phone. Activating the "Enable OEM unlock" is necessary for the bootloader unlock. To enable OEM unlock, go to Settings >> Developer options and check Enable OEM unlock.
3. Open CommandPrompt or Terminal and enter the following ADB command to reboot into the bootloader:
If ADB is not detecting your device try switching your phone's USB mode from Charging to MTP or PTP.
4. Once in the bootloader, use the following fastboot command to obtain Device ID:
Fastboot command will return a string. This is the Device ID which is needed to generate your unique unlock key.
Example :
Code:
$ fastboot oem device-id
(bootloader)-----------------------------------------------------------------
(bootloader) Device-ID
(bootloader) CD58B679A38D6B613ED518F37A05E013
(bootloader) F93190BD558261DBBC5584E8EF8789B1
(bootloader)-----------------------------------------------------------------
To generate your unlock key, you will need to paste together the 2 lines of output into one continuous string without "(bootloader)" or white spaces. In the example above, the Device ID would be:
CD58B679A38D6B613ED518F37A05E013F93190BD558261DBBC5584E8EF8789B1
5. Copy Device ID and IMEI into the LG developers unlock site and hit the confirm button. In a few moments the unlock.bin will be emailed to you. Download unlock.bin to computer.
6. While the phone is still in fastboot enter the following command to unlock the bootloader:
This will unlock your phone AND factory reset your device wiping all data!
Code:
fastboot flash unlock unlock.bin
7. You can now reboot the phone and boot into your unlocked device! Enter:
8. Want root or TWRP? Before moving forward I suggest getting a microSD card and putting the
SuperSu 2.65 zip on there. Do not set the external SD up as adoptive storage. Download this
TWRP image too.
Reboot back into the bootloader (you'll have to first re-enable USB debugging):
9. Flash TWRP:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery twrp-3.0.2-0-h850.img
For TWRP to "stick" you must first boot directly into TWRP and not back into Android, until after flashing the SuperSU zip.
After flashing TWRP unplug the USB cable and pull the battery. Plug battery back in then boot into recovery which should hopefully load TWRP.
To boot into recovery:
a. Using 2 hands.. use one hand/finger to press/hold volume down.. and use the other hand for the power button. Press n hold both buttons.
b. As soon as you see the LG logo on the screen.. let go of the power button then quickly press it again (never letting go of volume down).
c. Keep holding until you see the Factory Reset screen. Click thru the factory reset screens.. Yes.. Yes...
10. You will not be able to decrypt your internal data while in TWRP (unless performing a full /data wipe in TWRP and you will lose encryption!) but you can manually mount your external SD card to view the SuperSu zip. Feel free to back up first.. but otherwise.. time to install SuperSu. Click the Install button and navigate to the external_sd, select the SuperSu zip then swipe to install. Now you're rooted and TWRP'd! Reboot into system...
Have fun and be careful.
FAQ:
Q: I have an H850Q from Israel.. can I unlock the bootloader?
A: No, this official unlock program is ONLY for the H850 model for countries in Europe just like LG did for the LG G4.
But... for about a 10 day span last year G4 devices from SE Asia worked with the official site and users received unlock.bin files. :good:
Q: Will more devices be added?
A: While there is no "official" word.. most likely no. Unless another mistake happens where another region's H850's are allowed for a week.
Other than then EU H850 and possibly the T-Mobile H830... no other variants have a shot at being bootloader unlocked officially.
Q: I can't get my phone to show up with ADB or Fastboot, watdo?
A: Make sure USB debugging is enabled and try changing the phones USB modes.. from maybe charging to MTP.. or MTP to PTP.
Make sure drivers are installed if using Windows. Learn2Computer.
Q: Where can I get drivers and things?
A: A good start is my G5 Info thread found
here. Google and this very website are good places to search as well.
Q: What happens to warranty if I unlock or root?
A: YMMV I suppose. The official LG site claims that warranty is void if damage is caused by the unlock. Not sure how they could prove such things. I thought there was some EU law that gave everyone warranty coverage even if unlocking the phone. Not sure if that is enforced or even still valid at this time... maybe someone knows for sure?
Q: Can I re-lock the bootloader?
LG does not support re-locking the bootloader... so once unlocked you remain unlocked.
Thanks to @Loggsie for the heads up... the previous statement above is confirmed not true.
It IS possible to re-lock the bootloader with the the command:
fastboot oem lock
I wrote a bit more about it in this
post HERE... and in the post under that.. @wolfgart shows off some examples.
DO NOT re-lock the bootloader if you have a modified boot/system img... restore them to stock first or you will not be able to boot into android after the lock and need to flash a KDZ in download mode.
Q: So many words... yudodat?
A: Here is a video on how to unlock the G4... up until the 6minute mark it is step-by-step 100% the same as G5. Only slight difference is when you get to the TWRP/root steps.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O64GfQORCaE
