In this guide, we will show you the steps to flash the latest iodeOS ROM on your Pixel device and then lock its bootloader as well. When it comes to stock OS, then the offering from the Silicon Valley giant is right there at the top. A clean UI/UX without extensive bloatware tends to offer a fast and snappy usage experience. To round it all off, you get the fastest OS updates among all the OEMs as well.
However, for some, the very fact that the device is completely controlled by Google from software to hardware is itself a scary phenomenon. With trackers all around keeping a tab on all your activities, you’ll have to take each step with utmost precaution, which is easier said than done. Moreover, the plethora of pre-installed Google apps only makes the matter worse. This is where the iodeOS comes into the picture.
Table of Contents
What is iodeOS?
iodeOS is a custom ROM offering a completely de-Googled ecosystem, bereft of all Google apps, packages, services, and frameworks. It is an open-source ROM and is based on LineageOS, one of the most popular and well-respected custom ROMs in the developer community.
As far as the apps are concerned, you have complete control over which apps you want to install and which don’t. The option to do so appears right during the setup screen itself and you just need to uncheck the apps that you don’t want [by default all the apps will be checked/installed].
Features of iodeOS
Apart from being a “Google-free Android”, here are some of the other noteworthy features that this ROM beholds-
Transparent Internet Connection
odéOS makes all internet connections from your apps visible to you. It performs real-time analyses to identify all the recipients, the quantity of data they wish to collect, and the location where your data is being sent.
Blocking Unwanted Data Transmission
Communications with unwanted recipients (who are taken from an open-source collaborative blacklist) are automatically blocked, though you have the option to unblock any. Moreover, all these interceptions happen locally on your device only.
Built-In Ad Blocker
The ROM comes with a built-in ad blocker that blocks all types of intrusive and pop-up ads across the web. Likewise, it also plays a major role in blocking numerous trackers that are trying to keep a close watch on your daily activities.
Built-in Parental Control
If you’re a parent, then there’s always a thought going through your mind that your kid might unintentionally “or otherwise” end up on adult websites or keep hocked on various social media platforms. Well, your concern stops here as iodeOS can censor adult websites and block social network recipients, apart from giving you the option to put passwords on individual apps [of which, the likes of TikTok and Instagram occupy the topmost position].
List of Apps in iodeOS
As already discussed above, iodeOS doesn’t come with any Google Apps, instead it has its own set of open-source alternatives. Moreover, all these ROMs will be checked by default during the initial setup process, simply uncheck the apps that you don’t wish to install. With that said, here’s the list of all the apps present in this ROM:
- iode [manage data requests, block unwanted transmission, etc.]
- News
- Aurora Store [App Store]
- FDroid [App Store]
- iode Browser
- p≡p | Pretty Easy Privacy (pEp)
- Magic Earth Navigation & Maps
- Geometric Weather
- Carnet Note-Taking App
- HeliBoard Keyboard App
- Aperture Camera
- Fossify Messages
- MicroG [MicroG is an open-source replacement for Google Play Services]
Is iodeOS Free
iodeOS comes in three variants: Free, Premium, and Premium Family. The Free version does manage to checkmark most of the security and privacy aspects that the ROM is known for. With that said, the Premium version does have a few additional goodies with the likes of adult and social media blocking and the ability to connect 2 devices simultaneously. If we talk about the Premium Family, then there’s just one difference with respect to the Premium- the ability to connect up to 6 devices in one go instead of 2. With this, you would have got a decent idea of the iodeOS, let’s now make you aware of the steps to install it onto your Pixel device. Follow along.
How to Flash iodeOS on Pixel and Lock Bootloader
Do note that even though you can relock the bootloader after flashing the ROM, however, before flashing it, you need to unlock the bootloader, which will wipe off all the data from your device. So please take a complete device backup beforehand. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps.
- Download and extract Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC.
- Now enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device.
- After that, unlock the bootloader via the below command:
fastboot flashing unlock
- After that, open Command Prompt inside the platform tools folder.
- Now type the below command to boot your device to Fastboot mode.
adb reboot bootloader
- Then verify that you are getting a serial ID via the below command:
fastboot devices
- If you aren’t getting any ID, then install Fastboot Drivers on your PC.
- Now download the iodeOS for your Pixel device from the below links
Pixel 3
Pixel 4
Pixel 5
Pixel 6
Pixel 6a
Pixel 6 Pro
Pixel 7
Pixel 7a
Pixel 7 Pro
Pixel 8
Pixel 8 Pro
- Then extract it, go to the extracted folder, and launch the flash-all.bat file.
- The flashing will now start and your device will auto-boot to FastbootD Mode during the flashing, which is completely normal.
- Once the flashing is complete, you’ll be taken to the Bootloader Lock Confirmation Screen.
- If you wish to lock the bootloader, then use the Volume Keys to bring up the said option and press the Power key to confirm.
- The bootloader will be locked and you’ll be taken to the Fastboot Mode [the device state should now show as Locked].
- Finally, you may now boot your device to the newly flashed OS via the below command:
fastboot reboot
- During the setup screen, you’ll be given the option to choose the apps that you wish to install, make the selection accordingly.
That’s it. These were the steps to flash the iodeOS ROM on your Pixel device. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
