Want to unleash the true power of your HTC smartphone? Do you want to have full control over your HTC smartphone? If so, well, here’s the answer – Unlock the bootloader on your HTC. Those who are familiar with smartphone hacking and rooting tricks are probably aware of this. However, there are still interesting new developments.
The bootloader is a code that is present in all operating systems that are usually pre-locked. Therefore, it is important that if you want to install a custom ROM on your device, or if you want other controls such as installing incompatible apps, the device’s bootloader must be unlocked.
But going through the bootloader unlocking process and rooting the device won’t help and could instead break the device’s warranty. This certainly requires careful follow-up on how to unlock the bootloader on your HTC. So users must know the HTC bootloader unlocking procedure. This article will show you some ways you can follow to unleash the true power of your HTC device.
What is a bootloader?
Before continuing with the installation guide, we must first know what a bootloader unlock is. A bootloader is a software program that tells your device which program to load at startup. Plus, it is also used to boot your device into recovery mode. Most smartphone manufacturers ship their devices with locked bootloaders. The reason on their part is quite simple – they just want to run the authorized Android operating system they ship with the device.
This makes perfect sense from a security perspective. However, here’s the thing. Then you, the user, have no choice but to accept whatever your OEM has to offer. Although you can try custom launchers or icon packs, that’s all.
There are no drastic changes at the system level, that is until you unlock your device’s bootloader. While it sounds pretty interesting on paper, there are some caveats to this. So we’ll only do justice if we tell you about the risks associated with an unlocked bootloader, in addition to the benefits you get.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Unlock Bootloader
The unlocked bootloader gives you countless opportunities at your fingertips. For starters, there’s a huge community of custom ROMs with great offerings from LineageOS, Resurrection Remix, HavocOS, and more.
Additionally, you can also get administrator privileges on your device (aka root), which will allow you to make changes as well as to your system. You can also install a custom recovery like TWRP and create Nandroid backups, ZIP and IMG flash files, and more.
While it all sounds great, each side has two pieces, and that is the case here. First, an unlocked bootloader will void your device’s warranty. Likewise, this process also deletes all data stored on your device.
In addition, your device is now more vulnerable because the system partition can now be easily modified. The whole process itself is quite risky and if not done properly you can end up with a bricked device or device in a bootloop state. So, before unlocking the bootloader of your HTC device, keep all these risks in mind and then decide accordingly.
Steps to Unlock Bootloader on HTC Devices
Now that you know quite a bit about the bootloader and the additional advantages or disadvantages it offers, check out the steps to unlock the bootloader on your HTC device. To get started, here are the prerequisites that your device must meet:
Prerequisites
Make sure your device meets the requirements below. Carefully follow each point.
Point 1: Take a complete backup
Unlocking your HTC device’s bootloader will erase all data on your device. Therefore, it is advisable to make a full backup first.
Point 2: Charge your HTC Device
Make sure your device is charged at a high enough level. At least 60% or more is recommended. This is because if your device suddenly turns off during this process, it can lead to problems.
Point 3: Install HTC USB Drivers
For your PC to successfully recognize your device, it is important to install the USB driver for your HTC device. So don’t hesitate any more and download from our guide.
Point 4: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking
You will need to enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking. The former makes for a successful ADB connection between your device and your PC. The latter is needed to unlock the bootloader.
Step 1: To enable both, go to the device’s Settings.
Step 2: Go to your phone.
Step 3: Click Build number 7 times.
Step 4: Go back to settings.
Step 5: Open System settings.
Step 6: Then, click on Advanced.
Step 7: Now, click on Developer options.
Step 8: From there, enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlock.
Download ADB and Fastboot Tools
Finally, download and install the ADB and Fastboot tools on your PC. This is necessary for the PC to successfully recognize your device in Fastboot mode and also accept the fastboot command which we will run later.
That’s it. These are mandatory points to keep in mind. Now follow the steps listed below to unlock HTC bootloader.
Instructions to Unlock Bootloader on HTC
Step 1: Connect your device to your PC via a USB cable. In this case, you will get USB debugging permission on your desktop.
Step 2: Then, Click Allow.
Step 3: Now, go to the platform-tools folder and type cmd in the address bar. This will open a command prompt. Enter the below code in the cmd window to boot your device in fastboot mode.
– adb reboot bootloader
Step 3: You can also reboot your device in fastboot mode by turning it off and then pressing the volume down and power buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
Step 4: You will now be taken to the Bootloader menu. Use the volume keys to highlight the Fastboot Mode option and press the power key to confirm your choice.
Step 5: In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter. Note that the command below will delete all data. So make sure you make a backup.
– fastboot oem get_identifier_token
Step 6: This will give you a unique device ID token. Copy the commands from <<<< Identifier Token Start >>>> to <<<<< Identifier Token End >>>>> as shown in the example image below. Make sure you don’t copy the Bootloader prefix.
Step 7: Now go to Unlock HTC page and select your device on the right and sign in with your credentials.
Step 8: Scroll down until you get to the My Device ID Tokens section. In this box, paste the token you just copied in the step above.
Step 8: Then, press the Submit button.
Step 9: Now, you will get a message of successful token delivery. Similarly, you will also receive an email from HTC with the Unlock_code.bin file. Download this file and place it in the platform-tools folder.
Step 10: Now we will need to flash this file to your HTC device. To do this, type the code below in the CMD window and press Enter.
– fastboot flash unlocktoken Unlock_code.bin
Step 11: While executing the above command, you will get a bootloader to unlock warning message on your HTC device. Use the volume keys to highlight the Yes option, then press the power key to confirm your selection.
Step 12: Once done, your HTC device will boot back into the system with the bootloader unlocked.
Wrapping Up
So this is all from this guide on how to unlock the bootloader on any HTC device. Keep in mind that the first boot after the unlocking process will take some time. You’ll also need to set up your device from scratch with a Google ID. We hope this guide helped.
Experiencing difficulties with your Device, check out our “How To” page on how to resolve some of these issues.
