LG still hasn’t provided bootloader unlocking for the U.S. V30+ (US998U)

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When we talk about companies like OnePlus, HTC, Honor, and Sony, we generally associate them with developer friendliness. They provide bootloader unlock methods for their devices and work with the developer community so custom ROMs can come out as soon as possible. Even companies such as Samsung and LG are somewhat developer friendly, with Exynos editions of Samsung devices being easy to unlock. LG, in the case of the LG V30, provided a bootloader unlock method a few weeks after launch, but with a catch: the virtually identical LG V30+ (US998U) still can’t be unlocked.

The only difference between the LG V30 and the LG V30+ is the extra storage space and the extra SIM tray slot in the LG V30+. Specifications are the same, dimensions are the same, and even software updates are the same. Yet the device is still not added to LG’s list of unlockable devices despite it only being released a month after the LG V30 in the US. The European and Italian models of the V30 received unlock codes 3 weeks before the US variant, which is bad but not as bad as the current 2 months waiting time for the US998U.

Users on our forums have noticed LG’s reluctance to speak out about a bootloader unlock for the V30+, leaving owners in the dark. There have been no official responses on the issue in the company’s own forums, so it appears that LG isn’t interested in unlocking the device. It’s possible that this is simply an oversight by the company and is not done out of negligence. It’s also possible that there is a technical reason why the device can’t be unlocked, but considering it’s nearly identical to the LG V30, and the European variant got an official unlock, it’s hard to think of a reason why this may be.

We’ll be sure to keep an eye on the company’s social media and update you if a bootloader unlock is made available.