Over in the US Android fans have been busy trying to get their hands on the latest smartphone from Samsung, the Galaxy S3, and have been met with delays due to the high demand for the handset. We now have some more news regarding the Verizon version of the handset and an OTA update that is tipped to unlock the bootloader.
Earlier today we told you that the product page had gone live for the Developer Edition of the handset, which was being offered contract free and with an unlocked bootloader, but according to an article over at Droid Dog owners of the standard Galaxy S3 on Verizon will soon also have an unlocked bootloader.
It seems that the carrier has been persuaded to change their mind with regards to the locked bootloader after a number of customers contacted both Samsung and Verizon about the issue. The response from both companies has been along the same lines, and seems that Verizon is going to offer customers an over the air update to unlock the handsets bootloader. A date has yet to be given by either company but it is thought to be coming soon.
One customer of the carrier received a reply via an email from Levar of Customer Service about the issue, and revealed that Samsung was going to release a software update to unlock the handset. A release date was not known except that “it shall be soon”.
Another user received a response from Samsung suggesting the same thing, and while customer support can sometimes be unreliable or uninformed, it does seem that the two companies are working on a solution. If there is an update released soon it will mean customers of Verizon that want an unlocked bootloader won’t have to fork out $600 for the Developer Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S3. Update: According to Droid Life Verizon has clarified that they will not be releasing an update and the customer service reps are wrong.
Do you hope an OTA update is released to provide an unlocked bootloader on the Samsung Galaxy S3?