HTC to offer web-based, warranty-voiding tool for bootloader unlocking

HTC Sensation

HTC has announced that it will soon released a web-based tool that you’ll be able to use to unlock the bootloader on your HTC smartphone. The company had already committed to offering users to unlock their bootloaders so they could have more control over their phones. By unlocking the bootloader you can install custom firmware, make deep changes to your phone’s operating system, and make or restore from a complete backup of your device.

But because you can also wreak all sorts of havoc when trying to make those changes to your phone, HTC wants to make it clear that unlocking your bootloader will void your warranty. The company will also continue to ship phones with locked bootloaders.

Those that want to unlock their devices will have to:

Register an account.
Acknowledge that they’re voiding their warranty.
Install the Android SDK on their computer.
Connect a phone to the computer to retrieve a device identifier token.
Enter that token in a web tool to have an unlock key sent via email.
Use the key on a phone to unlock it.

HTC plans to offer unlocking tools first for the HTC Sensation and HTC Evo 3D, starting this month.

If you don’t want to wait that long, you might want to check out Revolutionary, an unofficial tool for unlocking the bootloaders on most HTC phones. But while both methods will likely void your warranty, I suspect the official HTC tools will be a little less risky to use.

Brad Linder

Brad Linder is editor of Liliputing and Mobiputing. He's been tinkering with mobile tech for decades and writing about it since 2006. Brad has also worked with NPR, WHYY, PRI, and AOL.