[UNOFFICIAL] How to unlock the bootloader of your Nokia Smartphones and Root

Unlocking the Bootloader and Rooting have always been the buzzwords in the Android world. But what is it all about? Well, the bootloader is one that will only boot an OS that it "approves" of. Root will give you the "super user" or "Administrator" privileges. Most of the Android phones come with a locked bootloader meaning you can't install any unauthorized OS/software on your phone. Companies claim that this is a security measure to keep your phone safe and secure.

Android is open-source and there are many custom ROMs and ports made by the developers. In fact, this is one of the biggest assets of Android ecosystem. An old phone, which the maker doesn't provide software support now, can be made to run the latest Android OS, using custom ROMs. You don't have to wait for OTA updates. To do this you need an unlocked bootloader and a custom recovery. Some companies provide official ways to unlock the bootloader, while a few companies sell their phones with unlocked bootloaders.

One of the pain points for users is bloatware. Some phones ship with a lot of bloatware, like duplicate or unwanted apps and heavy custom skins. With root access, you can remove that bloatware and even uninstall in-built apps. But root access allows you to do much more.

Currently, HMD Global doesn't provide any method to unlock the bootloader. They have promised that they would unlock the devices one by one. But till now, there is no further news about this. But they are releasing the source codes recently. Let's hope that they would also unlock the bootloader soon.

We would unlock one model at the time. What device would you unlock first?
— Mikko Jaakkola (@MikkoLJaakkola) September 29, 2017

Until then, is there no way to unlock the bootloader? Not so. The senior XDA member the_laser has come up with a method to unlock the bootloader of Qualcomm based Nokia phones. This is a paid method and each bootloader unlock request is charged at $5USD. The reason is that this algorithm was actually founded by the_laser and he charges a bunch of signatures at once.

You can buy the unlock key from TechMesto or you can contact us on Telegram or Facebook to buy the unlock key and remote downgrade. Indians can also pay using Paytm/UPI.

UPDATE:

Nokia Mobile has made some changes with August 2018 Android Security update which blocks bootloader unlocking. So, if your Nokia smartphone is on the latest update then it will need a remote downgrade to an older Android security patch (Pre-August) to unlock the bootloader.

Disclaimer: Unlocking the Bootloader will void your warranty and erase your data.

Warning: Proceed at your own risk. We are not responsible for bricked devices and boot loops.

Make sure that there is always an escape route. Keep a backup of your data.

Once you have unlocked the bootloader, it is quite easy to root your device using Magisk. Follow this guide. There are many Magisk modules to try out, like this one.