HTC offers tools that let users unlock the bootloaders on dozens of mobile devices — but not the AT&T version of the new HTC One X smartphone. You can unlock the international version, but not the AT&T model sold in the US.
But there’s now a way to trick HTC into thinking your AT&T smartphone is actually running on Canada’s Rogers wireless network — and that will allow you to use HTC’s bootloader unlocking utility.
Xda-developers forum member grankin01 has posted instructions for editing some hidden settings on your AT&T One X to make it look like a Rogers phone. Then you can simply go to the HTCDev website and follow the instructions to unlock your bootloader.
There are a few things to bear in mind. First, this is not for beginners. There is a pretty big chance that things can go horribly wrong, so proceed with caution.
Second, unlocking the bootloader using HTC’s tools does let you access certain features that would otherwise be unavailable. But it’s not enough to let you road custom ROMs. We’ll probably need to wait for an unofficial bootloader unlocking method to be discovered before that happens.
You can read more about exactly what’s possible with various versions of HTC’s new flagship phone at the MoDaCo forums.
Speaking of MoDaCo, Paul O’Brien has posted instructions for patching an AT&T HTC One X with a package that makes it operate like the Rogers version of the phone. You can do this even without unlocking the bootloader, making this about as close to a custom ROM as you’re going to get on the AT&T One X for now.
