In this guide, we will show you the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Pixel 7A. The newest addition to the Pixel family has grabbed the limelight, most noticeable due to its improvement over its predecessor in the form of wireless charging and 90hz refresh rate [which though has resulted in the increment of its price as well]. With that said, the devices from the Silicon Valley giant have always been among the most active players in custom development.
And we expect it to be the same with the newest entry to this lineup as well. With the support for a plethora of custom ROMs that could directly be flashed via Fastboot or AOSP-based recoveries and the ability to gain administrative privileges by rooting the device via magisk, the possibilities stand endless. But before you could carry out any of these tweaks, you’ll first have to unlock the bootloader on your Pixel 7A. And in this guide, we will show you how to do that.
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Benefits and Risks of Unlocked Bootloader on Pixel 7A
Unlocking the bootloader is the gateway to extracting the maximum benefits of Android’s open-source ecosystem. For example, you will be able to install a custom ROM or flash a custom recovery like TWRP. Likewise, you will also be able to get access to the system partition as well as administrative privileges by rooting your device via Magisk. This will then allow you to flash Magisk Modules, Xposed Framework, Substratum Themes, and Viper4Android among others.
However, carrying out these tweaks brings in a few uninvited risks as well. To begin with, it will wipe off all the data and could nullify the device’s warranty as well. Along the same lines, it will degrade the Widevine L1 certification to L3, thereby preventing you from streaming content in HD [FIXED]. The SafetyNet will be triggered [FIXED], thereby preventing you from using banking apps [FIXED]. So if that’s well and good then let’s get started with the steps to unlock the bootloader on Google Pixel 7A.
How to Unlock Bootloader on Google Pixel 7A
The below instructions are listed under separate sections for ease of understanding. Make sure to follow in the exact same sequence as mentioned. 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.
STEP 1: Install Android SDK
First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform-tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.
STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on Pixel 7A
Next up, you will also have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking.
So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.
STEP 3: Boot Pixel 7A to Fastboot Mode
- Now connect your device to the PC via USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
- Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
- Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
adb reboot bootloader
- To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID, as shown in the image.
fastboot devices
- if you are not getting any serial ID, then please install the Fastboot Drivers on your PC.
STEP 4: Unlock Bootloader Google Pixel 7A
- Type in the following command to unlock the bootloader on your Pixel 7A:
fastboot flashing unlock
- You will now get a confirmation message on your device. Use the Volume keys to select Unlock the Bootloader option, and the Power key to confirm your decision.
- Your device will now reboot to Fastboot Mode, but this time, the Device State will be Unlocked. This verifies that the process stands successfully completed.
- You may now reboot your device to the system (if that doesn’t happen automatically). For that either press the Power key once or use the below fastboot command:
fastboot reboot
These were the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Google Pixel 7/Pro. If you have any queries regarding the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments section below. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.
