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 2 months ago
Doesn’t this break laws in the EU, JP, and US?
artyom@piefed.social 2 months ago
MentalEdge@sopuli.xyz 2 months ago
Yeah they might come locked, but the owner needs to be able to remove that lock if they want to.
neblem@lemmy.world 2 months 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 2 months ago
I bought unlocked phones from samsung’s website and got locked bootloaders
WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 2 months 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 2 months 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 2 months ago
DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
That’s Carrier Unlocking, not Bootloader Unoocking.
artyom@piefed.social 2 months ago
Did you have a question?
thejml@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
As long as they grease the right palms in the US it’s fine.