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How to Unlock Bootloader Of Google Pixel Devices

From this guide, you could easily unlock the bootloader of various Google Pixel devices. Just by using a single line of fastboot command, you could unlock the bootloader of any Pixel device (no matter the model number or the year it was launched). Pixel devices are among the most sought after Android devices in the market. Succeeding the Nexus series, it created quite a buzz when it launched the Pixel 1 in the year 2016.

From then, there was no turning back. Currently, the Pixel 3 series has well and truly captured the markets around the globe. The expectations of this device are always sky high. And the Silicon Valley Giants never seems to disappoint the masses. Not only does it scores exceptionally well on the hardware front, but its software is equally impressive. Being a Google product, it is always among the first device to receive the latest Android updates.

But one thing for which this device is known is the amazing camera quality. It could be well and truly understood by the fact that now almost every other device has a Google Camera Port. Enough with the history, let us move on to the actual topic, shall we? Just follow the below-detailed guide on how to Unlock the Bootloader of Google Pixel Devices.



How to Unlock Bootloader on Google Pixel Devices

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: Take a Backup

Make sure to take a backup of all the data on your device. This is because the process will wipe off all the stored data.

STEP 2: Install Android SDK

install adb platform tools windows

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 3: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on Google Pixel Devices

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 process.

unlock bootloader google pixel devices

So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.

STEP 4: Boot Google Pixel Devices to Fastboot Mode

  1. Now connect your device to the PC via USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
  2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.

  3. command prompt
  4. Type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
    adb reboot bootloader

    unlock bootloader google pixel devices

  5. 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
  6. You may now proceed with the steps to unlock the bootloader on your Google Pixel device. Follow along.

STEP 5: Unlock Bootloader on Google Pixel Devices

  1. Finally, type in the following command to unlock the bootloader on your Google Pixel device:
    fastboot flashing unlock

    unlock google pixel devices

  2. You might get a confirmation message on your Pixel device at this point in time. Use the Volume keys to select Unlock the Bootloader option, and the Power key to confirm your decision.
    unlock-bootloader-confirmation-google-pixel-devices
  3. 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.
    unlock bootloader google pixel devices
  4. You may 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

That is all from this guide on how to unlock the bootloader on Google Pixel devices. If you have any queries, do let us know in the comments section below.


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  • Is there any hope for this phone of mine? The Developer option to unlock OEM Unlock option is grayed out.

    C:\platform-tools>adb devices
    List of devices attached
    XXXXXXXX device

    C:\platform-tools>fastboot devices
    XXXXXXXX fastboot

    C:\platform-tools>fastboot flashing unlock
    FAILED (remote: ‘flashing unlock is not allowed’)
    fastboot: error: Command failed

    • Sadique Hassan

      Hi Mate, could you let me know your device name, and is it carrier locked?

  • Just got a pixel 3 new and try to unlock the bootloader, everything works fine until the command ‘fastboot flashing unlock’ is saying ”. It looks like the connection between the PC and smarphone is lost after the command ‘adb reboot bootloader’. On the smartphone side, there is a menu ‘Fastboot Mode’, secure boot: PRODUCTION, Device state: locked, Enter reason: reboot bootloader. The volume keys show only options: Start, Restart bootloader, Recovery Mode, Bar Code, Power Off. I appreciate if you have any idea what to do at this point. Thanks!

    • Daviidds

      I have exactly the same problem, tell me if the advice with installing drivers helped you? if not, how did you solve this problem?

    • I have exactly the same problem, tell me if the advice with installing drivers helped you? if not, how did you solve this problem?

    • Sadique Hassan

      Hi Oldrin, it seems to be issues with Fastboot Drivers. So please try installing the Google’s Android Bootloader Interface Drivers and then retry with the steps

  • Elieser Juarez

    I got a Pixel 5 google Fi. Won’t take the commands. And I’ve tried all sorts of commands. Is it just a tight bootloader or is it unlockable?

    • Sadique Hassan

      Well Elieser, I don’t have much clue about Pixel 5 Google Fi. But there were similar issues on Google Pixel 3a and 4A on Google Fi. For those set of users, the OEM Unlocking toggle was greyed out so they couldn’t unlock the bootloader. So the best bet is to check and let me know if the OEM Unlocking option under Developer Options is disabled on your device or not. If it’s not, then you shouldn’t have any issues in unlocking the bootloader.