LG G4: How to Unlock the (H815) Bootloader

LG is now allowing the bootloader of some LG G4 models to be unlocked. The company is starting with the H815 model and here are the steps to unlock it.

Unlocking the bootloader can sometimes be a difficult task. If there are legit ways to do it then it usually takes creating an account with the OEM, submitting your device to a list, getting back a key/file and then performing some commands on the device. If it’s a hack that allows this process to be done then it’s a little bit easier but then you’re technically hacking into the bootloader.

Sometimes this will trip security layers(like with Samsung’s Knox) and sometimes it is done by actually bypassing the bootloader altogether(like we saw with the LG G3).

LG is taking the former method here and it is something that we’ve seen done by both HTC and Sony. This process requires you to create an account somewhere, register your device and request an unlock code/file. Then you can execute some command line commands and the device is completely unlocked. This can seem like a daunting task for some but with my tutorials I try my best to break things down and simply as possible. Before we get started though, there are some things that you should know ahead of time.

Warning – Once you unlock the bootloader of the LG G4 in this way, you are voiding your warranty. Unlocking the LG G4 bootloader in this way will disable some features that require DRM protection. Once you unlock the bootloader in this way it cannot be undone. Unlocking the bootloader of the LG G4 for the first time will wipe all user data on the device.

LG G4 Unlock H815 Bootloader

1. Download and Install LG’s USB Drivers
2. Download and Install ADB and Fastboot Tools
3. Enable OEM Unlock on the LG G4
4. Connect the LG G4 to the PC with a Micro USB Cable
5. Register as an LG Developer
6. Confirm the Account via the Email Sent to You
7. Gather Your IMEI Number and Device ID(details in the explanation below)
8. Register Your Device with LG
9. Wait for an Email with an unlock.bin File
10. Download the unlock.bin File and Move/Copy it to the ADB/Fastboot Directory
11. Type in the Following Command. . .
12. fastboot flash unlock unlock.bin
13. . . .and Press Enter on the Keyboard
14. Wait for the LG G4’s Bootloader to be Unlocked the Reboot it

Explanation

As I said, this can seem like a daunting task but I have laid everything out in very easy to follow steps. You’re going to need to download and install the LG USB drivers as well as the ADB and Fastboot tools. Then you’ll need to enable OEM Unlock on the LG G4 before you connect the device to the PC with a micro USB cable. Once that is done, then you’ll want to register a free developer account with LG, confirm the account by clicking the confirmation link in the email you receive. Then you’re going to need to gather the IMEI number as well as the device ID for your LG G4.

To get the IMEI number for the LG G4, simply launch the Settings application, then tap on the ‘About Phone’ option. Once here, look for the Status option and then tap on it. In here you should see an IMEI Menu where you will find the long string of numbers that is your unique IMEI number for the LG G4 you have in your hand. Write this down because you’ll need to enter it into the LG developer page coming up soon. The next thing you need to do is gather the Device ID for your LG G4 and this process is a little more difficult than getting the IMEI number.

You’ll need to browse to the directory in which you installed the ADB and Fastboot tools into. Once there, hold the Shift key down on your keyboard while right-clicking on an empty spot within the directory folder. This should open up a special menu where you see an ‘Open Command Window Here’ option in the list. Go ahead and left-click on this open command window here option and it should launch the command prompt right where you are. You could also choose to launch a command prompt from anywhere else but then you’ll need to navigate to where the ADB and Fastboot tools are and this is a much easier method to do so.

With the command prompt opened from within the ADB/Fastboot directory and your LG G4 connected to the PC, you can issue the command to gather the Device ID for your LG G4. You’ll need to type the command “adb reboot bootloader” without the quotation marks. Once that command is typed in, go ahead and press the Enter key on the keyboard and your LG G4 should boot into bootloader mode. From here, you’ll want to type the command “fastboot oem device-id” again, without the quotation marks and then press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command.

You’re going to see a string of characters and letters appear within the command prompt, just like you see in the image above. The string of characters will be displayed in two rows and you’ll need to copy/write those down into one long row. For example, the Device ID given in the image above would be “CD58B679A38D6B613ED518F37A05E013F93190BD558261DBBC5584E8EF8789B1”. Once you have this copied/written down, then you can proceed with the rest of the tutorial. You’ll want to log into the LG developer account as linked in the tutorial above and then enter your IMEI number along with the Device ID.

Once you have done this, you’ll receive an email with a file attached to it. The file attached should be called unlock.bin and this file contains the unlock key that you need to actually unlock the bootloader of the LG G4. Download this unlock.bin file and move/copy it to the same folder that you have the ADB and Fastboot files in. Once the file has been moved/copied, you will then want to type the command “fastboot flash unlock unlock.bin” and then press Enter on the keyboard to execute the command. Once the bootloader has been unlocked you can reboot the LG G4.

To reboot the LG G4, simply type the command “fastboot reboot” into the command line and it should reboot you back into the regular Android OS.