Samsung bans unlocking the bootloader with the release of One UI 8

Samsung has discontinued support for the bootloader unlock feature on devices with the new One UI 8 interface. According to SammyGuru, this option has been removed from both the Galaxy S25 beta and the stable firmware of the Galaxy Fold 7 and Flip 7.

Previously, the ability to unlock the bootloader was only available to users in the US, but now the restriction applies to all regions. Analysis of the code of the stable version of One UI 8 confirmed that regardless of the country, the option will no longer be available.

This decision will affect the Android enthusiast community, who used unlocking to gain root access, install custom firmware and kernels. Such modifications allowed to extend the support period of devices after the end of official updates or improve performance.

However, Samsung now offers up to seven years of Android updates for most of its smartphones, which partially compensates for the loss of this feature. Even so, for users accustomed to deep customization, the changes may be a significant limitation.