Customers that want to unlock their Asus Zenfones are in for a disappointment, with the company saying it is no longer possible.

An Asus customer posted on the company’s forums to detail an exchange with Asus customer service:

Because the bootloader could not be unlocked on Zenfone 9, I decided to write to Asus Support to be told when it would be possible to unlock the bootloader on Z9 and Z10. The response I received was that it would no longer be possible to unlock the boot on any of these phones. Upon receiving this news I decided not to buy the Z10. I think it is a big mistake that Asus has decided that the boot cannot be unlocked. I don’t know if they will change their mind, but there will be many of us who decide NOT to buy it.

The revelation is bad news for customers that want to replace the default version of Android with a privacy-respecting option, such as Lineage OS, or anyone else who wants to unlock their phone for various reasons.

Based on the responses to the above comment, Asus customers are not happy with the decision, with a number of them threatening to return devices if the company does not change course.