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I am trying to install Ubuntu Touch on Vodafone Smart Mini 7 (Android 6.0). I followed the instruction from the Ubuntu official site and when I hit sudo fastboot oem unlock, and press the UP volume button, I get this error: FAILED (remote: Unlock operation is not allowed)

Besides this, I don't have the "OEM Unlock" button in Developer Tools, nor on my main phone Huawei P8 Lite (Android 6.0), both phones were bought from the Vodafone store, so they are blocked in Vodafone.

A friend's Samsung Galaxy J5, blocked in Orange has the "OEM Unlock" option and that's pissing me off.

As I have seen from several forums, some operators let you unlock the OEM, some don't, and in my case, Vodafone doesn't. Is there a way to enable this option and continue the Ubuntu Touch installation?

Andrew T.
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sticsk
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1 Answers1

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In some devices, you can enable OEM unlocking even with the option being disabled in the Developer options menu. Ensure ADB Debugging is enabled on the device and try this command

sudo -i 
adb enable oem unlocking
adb reboot bootloader

Then, once the bootloader is loaded, use fastboot to attempt an OEM unlock. Note that this still may not work as many devices require a code or unlock token from the manufacturer to actually unlock the bootloader and I can find no information on a successful bootloader unlock for this specific device.

Also be aware that Ubuntu Touch has been discontinued and your device does not seem to be supported anyway, so all this may be for nothing. There also does not appear to be any custom ROMs available for your device.

Andrew T.
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acejavelin
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  • uhm, it won't take enable command, everytime when i write adb enable, terminal thinks I only write adb and shows me the commands ; won't work with adb shell either – sticsk Jun 01 '17 at 16:23
  • @sticsk So it is disabled by the manufacturer on a deeper level than just removing it from the developer menu. There is no other way to enable OEM unlocking. Most likely the manufacturer has setup this phone so that the bootloader cannot be unlocked. – acejavelin Jun 01 '17 at 16:26