Samsung Galaxy S4 Unlocked Bootloader Release: Custom Recovery for AT&T and Verizon Coming Soon

Dan Rosenberg, security researcher and boon to modders everywhere, announced he was able to unlock the bootloader on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4. Rosenberg used a method similar to the one he used to the same effect on the AT&T Galaxy S4.

Successfully booted a custom recovery on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 (thanks to a helpful tester). Look forward to a release soon.

— Dan Rosenberg (@djrbliss) May 20, 2013

"Successfully booted a custom recovery on the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 (thanks to a helpful tester). Look forward to a release soon," Rosenberg tweeted earlier this week.

The method hasn't yet been released, since the Verizon Galaxy S4 doesn't officially hit the market until tomorrow. Modders and developers worry if the unlock exploit is released before Verizon ships out its stock of Galaxy S4 devices, the carrier will be able to patch the code before release.

But once Verizon customers have their phones in hand, all should be well, so expect to see the bootloader unlock exploit unveiled in the next few days at the most.

While some Galaxy S4 devices can be purchased with the bootloader already unlocked (Google will begin selling its 16GB Galaxy S4 Google Edition with a stock Android operating sytem and an unlocked bootloader through the Google Play store starting Jun. 26), those are often expensive, since carriers won't usually subsidize those phones. Rosenberg's method allows any Galaxy S4 owner to run custom ROMs.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 1.6GHz eight-core Exynos 5 Octa processor or a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor (depending on country), 2GB of RAM, a 5-inch 1920x1080 Full HD AMOLED display at 441 ppi, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera with 1080p HD video, a 2-megapixel front facing camera, internal storage between 16 and 64GB, an SD card slot that can accommodate an additional 64GB, a polycarbonate body, Smart Pause and floating touch tech and runs Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.

Check back for the latest info on the Galaxy S4 as it becomes available.