How to Unlock Huawei Bootloader with PotatoNV - A Free and Open-Source Tool
How to Unlock Huawei Bootloader with PotatoNV - A Free and Open-Source Tool
If you own a Huawei or Honor device with a Kirin processor and want to unlock its bootloader, you might have heard of PotatoNV. This is a free and open-source tool that can generate the bootloader unlock code for several HiSilicon Kirin-powered devices. In this article, we will show you how to use PotatoNV to unlock your Huawei bootloader easily and safely.
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What is PotatoNV?
PotatoNV is an open-source bootloader unlocker for select Huawei/Honor smartphones. It was developed by Andrey Smirnoff, who managed to decipher the bootloader unlock code generation algorithm for devices that are based on HiSilicon Kirin 960/659/655 chipsets[^1^].
PotatoNV works by exploiting a low-level bootloader flashing method discovered by XDA Senior Member hackintosh5. The tool uses the VCOM_DOWNLOAD mode, which requires users to open up the target device and access the test points on the motherboard[^1^].
Which Devices are Supported by PotatoNV?
According to the developer, PotatoNV works with the following devices[^1^]:
Honor 7X (BND)
Honor 8 Pro / V9 (DUK)
Honor 9 Lite (LLD)
Honor 9 (STF)
Huawei Mate 9 (MHA)
Huawei Mate 9 Pro (LON)
Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite (BAH2)
Huawei MediaPad M5 (CMR)
Huawei MediaPad T5 (AGS2)
Huawei Nova 2 (PIC)
Huawei Nova 2i / Mate 10 Lite (RNE)
Huawei Nova 2s (HWI)
Huawei P Smart 2018 (FIG)
Huawei P10 (VTR)
Huawei P20 Lite / Nova 3e (ANE)
Huawei P8 Lite 2017 (PRA)
Huawei P9 Lite (VNS)
Huawei Y9 2018 (FLA)
Even if your phone or tablet is not in the list, it is safe to try out different bootloader options on the tool and see whether it can come up with a valid unlock code[^1^].
How to Use PotatoNV to Unlock Huawei Bootloader?
Before you proceed, make sure you have backed up your data, as unlocking the bootloader will erase everything on your device. You also need to install Android Developer Tools and enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlock on your device. Then, follow these steps:
Clone the repository and compile files: git clone https://github.com/B83C/huawei_bootloader_unlocker && cd huawei_bootloader_unlocker && make
Connect your device to your computer and use adb reboot bootloader to reboot your device in bootloader mode.
Open up your device and access the test points on the motherboard. You can find detailed instructions for each device on the developer's GitHub page[^2^].
Run the program with root access: sudo ./unlock
Wait for it to generate the unlock code and display it on the screen.
Enter the unlock code on your device using the volume and power buttons.
Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked your Huawei bootloader with PotatoNV.
Conclusion
PotatoNV is a great tool for Huawei and Honor users who want to unlock their bootloaders without paying for third-party services. It is free, open-source, and easy to use. However, it does require some technical skills and physical access to the device's motherboard. If you are not comfortable with that, you might want to look for e0e6b7cb5c