In this guide, we will be discussing how a user ultimately managed to unlock the bootloader on his AT&T Pixel 7 Pro. It is no hidden secret that the devices from the Silicon Valley giant are among the most tech-friendly out there. Whether it’s flashing custom ROMS, installing a custom kernel, or gaining administrative access by rooting the device via Magisk init_boot, there’s a lot to look forward to.
However, before you could try out any of these tweaks, you will have to first checkmark an important prerequisite off the list- the device’s bootloader needs to be unlocked. For carrier-unlocked devices, that isn’t a problem as you just need to execute the fastboot flashing unlock command to get this job done. But that isn’t the case with carrier-locked devices as you might have to go through heaps and bound, and if lucky enough, you might be able to carry out this task. However, it seems now that a workaround might finally be available.
The Bootloader on AT&T Pixel 7 Pro has finally been unlocked!
XDA Senior Member sirhc has shared how he did manage to achieve this tweak. While it does involve quite a few strings attached but is still worthy of your attention. Initially, he had a carrier-unlocked AT&T Pixel 6 Pro with SIM inserted. He then switched over to an eSIM on another device [say device A]. So while the physical SIM was in his Pixel 6 Pro [still registered to AT&T], the phone number has been transferred to his device A.
So just to test it out, he pulled out the physical SIM from his Pixel 6 Pro, inserted it into the Pixel 7 Pro, and then factory reset it [the 7 Pro]. Once the device booted up after the reset, he was surprised to find out that the OEM Unlock toggle was no longer greyed out [which is usually the case with carrier-locked devices]. So he straightaway enabled this toggle, booted his device to Fastboot, and executed the fastboot flashing unlock command. And guess what, the bootloader on his AT&T Pixel 7 Pro was unlocked!
Whether it was a bug from the Google end or the carrier is yet to be ascertained. If it was indeed a server-side bug, then we don’t have any concrete evidence that it has been patched yet. So now is your perfect window of opportunity to get a shot at this weak. But before you do so, keep in mind that it might nullify your warranty and would reset your device, so take a backup beforehand. And don’t forget to share your results with us in the comments section below!
