HMD Will Be Releasing The Kernel Source Code Of Nokia 8 Soon, But It Won't Let You Unlock It

This is ironical. HMD Global's Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas has said that HMD will be releasing the kernel source code of Nokia 8 soon but it won't let the users unlock the device because of security reasons. 

Sorry, we wont unlock it due to security however we will share our kernel modifications back to the open source community, wip

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) September 20, 2017

The two tweets you see above were in reply to Sarvikas' tweet of Oreo being tested on the Nokia 8. For those of you who don't know why kernel sources and an unlocked bootloader are complementary to each other, I will explain.

Kernel sources are used by developers to build custom ROMs for a device. In addition to custom ROMs, kernel sources are also used for building custom recoveries like TWRP which are required for installing a custom ROM. Now to install a custom recovery on a device, one needs to unlock the bootloader of their device first. When we say a device is unlocked we mean that the device has an unlocked bootloader. Hence even if developers happen to build custom ROMs using the kernel source code, they won't be able to install it on their device because the bootloader is locked.

Additionally, OEMs have to release the kernel source code because they have to comply with the terms of General Public License version 2. Android is an open source project and it uses a Linux based kernel. The kernel is licensed under GPL v2. Hence if a company ends up shipping Android on their device, they are obligated to share their kernel modifications with the open source community.

The tweet below is an apt take on HMD's moves.

You share your kernel mods because you're legally bind to. What's the point of them if the "open source community" you ment can't use them?

— 🍵🌳 (@teapot_tree) September 27, 2017

[Image credit: Juho Sarvikas]

Krittin Kalra

Krittin Kalra is a 20 year old Android freak. Striving for passions, chasing down his dreams and living a life without regrets is his sole mantra. A bit moody, he also does custom ROM reviews for AndroGuider. Currently pursuing his B.Tech, he aspires to follow his heart.