Was your bootloader actually unlocked still but was has no “unlock ability” anymore? Or were you “locked / couldn’t boot / couldn’t unlock”? With @HisDudeness I was assuming (yup, gets us all in trouble 
) that if he is unlocked he should be able to issue commands of some sorts?
Sorry for my absence. You understood it correctly, my bootloader is currently unlocked but the unlocking ability returns 0, so I wouldn’t be able to unlock it again should it get locked, particularly in a corrupt state, so right now I’m not flashing again. Stock ROM is currently installed.
Unless flashing iodé would help me get the unlocking ability back, although I read that flashing is not recommended while unlocking ability is 0. Until now the bootloader never locked itself on its own, but I guess that’s not a guarantee something won’t go wrong the next time.
Well yes it isn’t bad to be cautious! But if you do not lock on installing iodéOS I don’t think there is a risk: a broken install will not lock it, you install again. So just don’t lock until you see that you can relock ?
Ok, I can now confirm flashing iodé gives me back the ability to unlock, but I don’t feel this safe. My problem occurs when I’m going from FPOS to iodé, meaning that I am coming from a “0” unlock ability state. If I flash iodé from FPOS, lock the bootloader and end up in a corrupted state, I would risk a hard brick, since my unlock_state was 0 just before and I can’t test it until I boot iodé for the first time, get USB debugging back and reboot into bootloader.
Don’t know why I’m getting this problem right now, before I had flashing ability 1 even on FPOS.
Right now I’ve flashed the oldest FPOS version I could get (FP5-VT2P) and my bootloader version is FP5.VT2P.C.089.20260311, the same as the latest version of iodé if I’m not mistaken.
Question: can I instead flash an older version of iodé to get both an older security patch AND unlocking ability, and then try to flash the latest version and lock the bootloader?
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I have to slightly correct myself. I can check unlock ability in real time, even after flashing, before first boot. When, after flashing is done, the dialog asks me whether or not to lock the bootloader, the phone still responds to fastboot commands, and flashing iodé from FPOS (unlock_ability 0) the unlock_ability immediately returns 1. However, flashing iodé 7.4 and then 7.5 didn’t solve my problem, as the phone got corrupted again. I’m keeping FP5 VT2P and wait for iodé’s next version, hoping this will be my turning point.
I’m confused on the process you are following. Flashing 7.4 would be a “rollback” right (and then locking will soft brick as you see)? I don’t think if you “roll back then roll forward” it counts as “not rolling back” ??
Just what I feared haha
It was just a desperate move as I don’t seem to have any alternative. I’ll wait for the next version to ship with a newer security patch, in the meantime I’m using an old Zenfone 8 Flip.
Just a doubt: right now I have VT2P on, but I easily may have had VT2Q at some point. If the latest version ever had applies for the security patch, does it mean I’m updated to VT2Q’s one despite all the subsequent moves I have? Or does what is displayed in the settings under “Security patch version” count? Just to know if I’ll have any chance with 7.6 once it rolls out.
Not certain. BUT if you are on FPOS VT2P now, why didn’t direct 7.5 install work as it is also VT2P?
My comment before was that iodéOS 7.4 was pre-VT2P so FPOS VT2P to iodéOS 7.4 (pre-VT2P) was an issue, but I didn’t understand why not try VT2P FPOS direct to iodéOS 7.5 (VT2P)?