Samsung’s One UI 8 might shut down bootloader unlocking on Galaxy phones

Samsung’s One UI 8 update seems to prevent users from unlocking their device’s bootloader to load custom ROMs, as spotted earlier by SammyGuru. Over the weekend, users on the XDA Developers forum noticed that Samsung appears to have disabled the option on devices in regions outside the US, where the option had already been locked for years.

By unlocking the bootloader, users can install custom software and make other modifications to their phone. Users discovered the new restriction after digging into the code of the Settings app on One UI 8, which ships with the newly released Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Fold 7.

As pointed out by SammyGuru and Android Authority, the code contains the line “androidboot.other.locked=1.” When this line is set to “1,” it means the bootloader is locked, like it is here in the US. Before One UI 8, this line had previously been set to “0” to enable bootloader unlocking in regions outside the US. Users spotted the restriction within One UI 8 beta builds for the Galaxy S25 as well.

Samsung didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.