HandsetsNews

HTC Readying Update to Unlock HTC Sensation Bootloader

36

HTC has been a bit back and forth on the status of their handset’s bootloaders as of late, but a canned response being issued to those questioning the unlock-ability of the HTC Sensation seems to indicate the handset manufacturer may be making good on their word to provide phones more open to development. While the Sensation doesn’t ship with an unlockable bootloader, it looks like a software update is in the works to provide exactly that.

“We are currently developing new bootloader unlocked software for your phone. HTC is still committed to allowing our customers to unlock the bootloaders if they wish, however we are still implementing the policy and many updates were already finalized prior to our change in policy. We apologize for the inconvenience, but be assured that we are working on a solution for our customers and our commitment has not changed. Please stay tuned to our official channels for ongoing updates on how we will be implementing this policy. Thank you for your patience.”

Multiple members over at XDA have received the above response explaining that their new bootloader policy wasn’t in place until after the software of the Sensation was finalized. An update is promised, though we can’t say for sure when it might land.

The change in policy and the tease of new software that is a bit easier to crack has the root and ROM crowd foaming at the mouth. This one will score some major brownie points for HTC, and they’ll need them. Especially after Samsung has been handing out phones to ROM developers and all…

Kevin Krause
Pretty soon you'll know a lot about Kevin because his biography will actually be filled in!

CONTEST: One Epic Droid Dad Will Rock Out To $1200+ Of SONOS Gear!

Previous article

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Now Available for Pre-Order

Next article

You may also like

36 Comments

  1. hope it comes with 2.3.4  

  2. wish moto would do the same

    1. Those clowns (Motorola) couldn’t pull their heads out of their ads if their life depended on it and it does

    2. Motorola is too busy blaming everyone else for their crappy software.

    3. Moto is a tool…. never again…

  3. This doesn’t change anything. The SGSII still craps all over this whether it has an unlocked bootloader or not.

    1. It doesnt crap all over anything. This device appeals to lots of people and will do well for those that arent all about specs. Big fucking deal if the SG2 has better innards. I’m so fucking tired of hearing how much better that device is in every article about the Sensation. We fucking know its got better specs by now so stop shoving that fact down our throats already and let us enjoy it without having to hear a god damned reference to the fucking SG2! Let the damn phone have it moment in the sun without being constantly referred to as the other duo core device in its own article!

      1. Omg.
        They are the two highest end android phones right now (Optimus 2x isn’t even close), so expect some comparisons.
        You do often compare the best  on the market, and this round goes to Samsung.
        Like it or not.
        also, protip: Wait for the Nexus 3 with the Kal-el chip inside.

    2. The SG2 doesnt “crap” on anything. Sensation is  a perfectly acceptable device. If you want an SG2 then wait for it. The Sensation is going to be a great device. Some people seem to have a difficult time letting this device shine on its own without hearing about the SG2. Yes its shinier, and faster and prolly will set the standard this year. But guess what? Not everyone cares about specs.  This device can never be talked about without some comparison to the SG2 and I’m frankly getting tired of it. I for one am getting the Sensation and would even if the SG2 was available right now.

    3. Neither of them crap on anything until they are available on a carrier that I can use.

    4. As an owner of an SGS, I can say that I will NEVER buy a Samsung Android phone again. These people released a phone with inferior GPS, which is important to me. They “upgrade” late, and the GPS was never fixed. In order to get any level of quality, I needed to root and use a different rom.

      1. What Ed says ^ Samsung screwed over us SGS owners. I wouldn’t trust them again.

    5. You need to stop with this Galaxy S2 stuff, Yes it is nice but craping on the Sensation THAT’S VERY DOUBTFUL…How easily we forget all the crying everyone did who has Samsung device last year when it took FOREVER AND A DAY JUST TO GET TO FROYO….AND SOME SAMSUNG DEVICES ARE STILL STUCK ON FROYO…Samsung is a DISASTER IN THE UPDATE DEPARTMENT TALK ABOUT FOR A CHANGE…The Sensation will recieve Ice Cream the Galaxy S2 WON’T because all samasung will do is come out with a new device THEY NEVER SERVICE THERE OLD DEVICES….Checkmate my friend

      1. I just seen the review for this phone over on phonedog.com, and yeah the galaxy s2 does crap all over this thing.. I was really disappointed in this phone..

        1. wow… really man… really….. Your dumb thats all Im going to say. You trusted phonedog, thats your first problem. The sgs2 will be superior in some aspects but this is a beast. If you fail to see that then Im sorry for you.

          1. phonedog has probably the the most unbiased reviews out there. for a 1.2 ghz dual core processor and its still lagging. Yeah i would say that is pretty bad. And the quadrant score isnt much better than the Thunderbolts. Sorry I dissed on your precious sensation but it didnt live up to the hype at all. So deal with it.. 

      2. You are simply a fool. Have you forgotten the deal made between Google, the carriers, and the manufacturers PROMISING updates to phones (mostly high-end I would assume) for at least 18 months? Since the GS2 was released less than a month ago, that still leaves a good 8 months at least before ICS is due to be released, WELL within the 18 month period. So much for your (yet again) faulty statement that the GS2 won’t receive ICS. Try using that pathetic excuse for a brain once in a while. 

    6. I soooo with Xman… the samsung processor is quicker but the 1.2ghz dual core snapdragon is hardely anything from slow, many tests say it out performs the tegra. the super amoled on the sgs2 is amazing but the clarity of the qhd on the sensation is plenty sufficient for me. the sensation is an amazing device that I am buying at launch; this is for one reason… software. I understand touchwiz is getting better with the newer version but I still cant stand it. Sense 3.0 is very visually appealing with a truckload of new features and functionality that the samsung couldnt dream of. to each his own I suppose……..

      1. dang! don’t rip me apart haha  I recognize now that I didn’t proof read before I posted, anyways you’ll get the point :)

    7. I think people are putting too much faith in benchmarks. The Sensation has a higher resolution so it will score lower than the GS2 on some tests. It would score lower than itself if it had a WVGA screen. Hell, the iPhone 3GS benchmarks higher than the iPhone 4 in a lot of cases.
      They both have their pros and cons.
      Sensation: Higher resolution, better build quality.
      GS2: Better screen tech, more storage space.
      All their other specs are pretty much the same. It is a give and take.

    8. And in 2 months something else is going to crap all over the SGSII. Post something useful to the discussion.

    9. Who fucken cares

  4. Still behind the curve compared to Samsung. Give your phones to CyanongenMod and fully open source the software (including the drivers) like Samsung did, HTC! I hope all manufacturers will follow Samsung’s lead for more openness soon enough. 

  5. What about the Inc S/2

  6. rather they finished their gingerbread release for the og desire they promised for this month.

  7. I do not even have tmo but way cool HTC! Now if they could just work on battery life……lol

    1. the reviews ive heard about the sensation say that the battery life is actually quite good. you can get a full 48 hours of light to light/average usage. and easily a full day of heavy usage. for a power house like that it sounds like a party to me! ;)

      1. i have decent battery life on my sensation

      2. I havent been that lucky. I must carry a charger with me.

  8. I hope that Samsung and HTC try to outduel each other to make a good CM 7 (or 8 or 9….) phone.

    That would be awesome.

  9. This is a good way to do it, in my opinion. Have it locked, but an application on the carriers website can unlock it. That way those who want to mess with their handset can easily do so, and the carrier can “protect” the user from doing something by accident, as you’d really have to actively seek this out to do it. 

    1. No, because then the carriers can void your warranty and use it against you. The process of installing custom roms and using fastboot to update firmware is still complicated. You definitely couldn’t root your phone by accident.

  10. Rayevo3dfamily::: we know it’s you ray, I thought, I hoped, I prayed, that you were banned. If only I could meet you, anywhoo.. The galaxy s2 is way better than your gimmick 3D phone, that hopefully will have a locked bootloader, if I get what I want. Man, that would be great. I think you should gO ahead and get your sprint droid pro. That would fit u better

    1. He is at the bowery mission in manhattan. If you don’t want to deal with him yourself, give a homeless guy a few hundred bucks and a gun. I guarantee he will ice that idiot for a few franklins. Hey, we could consider him a “death ray”! hahahahahahaha

  11. I wish this phone was on Verizon!

  12. It’s been 5 days since the “unboxing” here at Phandroid.. What’s keeping the review  ?

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in Handsets