For some reasons, many companies seem to think that people wishing to unlock their phone are evil in every way possible, but that is (usually) not the case. Most Android modders are just people looking to explore the true capabilities of their devices. HTC has been one of the strictest companies, aside from Apple, when it comes to locking down their devices. Some people even believe that them essentially shunning the developer community has been one of the biggest factors contributing to their recent struggles. While HTC has started offering users the ability to unlock their device’s bootloader via an official developer tool, the process often doesn’t become available for phones until several months after launch, especially with United States carriers. It looks like that may not be the case with the AT&T HTC One, though.
A curious XDA user, who has already gotten his or her hands on the AT&T branded HTC flagship says that the bootloader unlocking process is the same for the AT&T model as it is for the unlocked, international model. The methods for rooting and installing the ClockWorkMod custom recovery are also the same. To unlock the bootloader, all you have to do is run the device through HTC’s official bootloader unlocking tool. That is surprising because usually the same tool doesn’t work for both the United States variants and international model.
Now, keep in mind that it’s altogether possible that HTC did not intend for the devices to both be unlockable from the same tool, and may very well may block the AT&T variant from accessing the tool. It’s also worth noting that unlocking the bootloader will remove the Calculator, Flashlight, Ringtone Trimmer and Sound Recorder apps from the device, which will prevent your phone from being able to receive over-the-air updates correctly.
Rooting and unlocking a device’s bootloader opens it up to a whole other world of possibilities. The options are limited for the HTC One right now, but as more and more people get their hands on the device, we can expect the hacking and modding to grow very quickly.
Have you gotten an HTC One yet? What do you think? Let us know down in the comments!