There's definitely no law in the US. In fact the vast majority of Android device bootloaders come locked. Pretty much just Pixels and Galaxies that allow this.
Comment on Samsung’s One UI 8 might shut down bootloader unlocking on Galaxy phones
just_another_person@lemmy.world 5 days ago
Doesn’t this break laws in the EU, JP, and US?
artyom@piefed.social 5 days ago
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 5 days ago
Yeah they might come locked, but the owner needs to be able to remove that lock if they want to.
neblem@lemmy.world 5 days ago
And even when it comes to Galaxies, you can’t buy from a carrier in the US or you’ll often get a special version that, you guessed right, has a locked bootloader. (Two phones now, never again).
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
I bought unlocked phones from samsung’s website and got locked bootloaders
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 4 days ago
that probably only means that its carrier unlocked, so that you are not forced to use a specific carrier that someone decided for you.
Eagle0110@lemmy.world 4 days ago
Even the non-carrier variants in the US, misleadingly called “International variants” despite of being regional to the US, have locked bootloader.
just_another_person@lemmy.world 5 days ago
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
That’s Carrier Unlocking, not Bootloader Unoocking.
artyom@piefed.social 5 days ago
Did you have a question?
thejml@sh.itjust.works 5 days ago
As long as they grease the right palms in the US it’s fine.