In this guide, we will show you the steps to downgrade Nokia 8 to Android 8.1 Oreo and then unlock the bootloader. In our just concluded statement, you would have noticed the word Nokia 8 and bootloader unlock in one single statement. Well, that’s a rare sight to see, thanks in large parts to the weird decision-making tactics of this OEM. The likes of Custom ROMs, custom recoveries, and root are something that you would no longer find in its dictionary, and it is the tech enthusiasts who are the ultimate sufferers.
Table of Contents
Unlocking the Bootloader is now Possible on Nokia 8?
A couple of years back, the OEM had a change of heart and it decided to allow users to have their bootloader unlocked. So what you had to do is install an APK that they will provide to you. Then launch that app, type in your email message, and then hit Confirm. They will then send you the unlock.bin file which you could subsequently use to unlock the bootloader on your Nokia 8. However, many users weren’t even able to get past the first step itself. But why was that the case? Well, let’s check out.
Device Not Support Error on Nokia 8 Bootloader Unlock App
When they tried launching the app, they instead got the “Device not support” error message. However, there also existed a minor set of users who were indeed able to successfully unlock the device’s bootloader. So where’s the catch?
Well, upon getting in touch with them, we found out that they were running Android 8.1 on their device. While all the others who reported failure were either running 9 or 10. So the reason for this issue was crystal clear- the app only supported Android Oreo.
Downgrading to Oreo is the only way out!
As a result, all that you needed to do is just downgrade the OS version to this build. Well, it is easier said than done. This is because ADB Sideload doesn’t support the downgrade process. So you were left with a couple of other choices- to use a tool such as OST or use the Fastboot Commands to manually downgrade your device. But both these methods require an unlocked bootloader in the first place.
So it felt as if we are stuck in a vicious cycle with no lights at the end of the tunnel. Well, that’s isn’t the case as there is indeed a silver lining among those dark clouds. There exist a nifty method through which you could downgrade your Nokia 8 to Android 8.1 Oreo and then proceed ahead with unlocking the device’s bootloader. And in this guide, we will show you how to do just that. Follow along.
How to Downgrade Nokia 8 to Android Oreo 8.1
Do note that the below process will wipe off all the data from your device. Moreover, downgrading is always a risky process and could have negative consequences on your device. So proceed ahead with caution and at your own risk. 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: Download Nokia 8 Android 8.1 Firmware
- Next up, download the Android 8.1 firmware for your device from the below link (these are the official firmware taken directly from the Google servers with no modifications)
Nokia 8 (TA-1004): Download Link Nokia 8 (TA-1012): Download Link
- Once downloaded, transfer it to your device’s SD Card (memory card). Don’t put it in Internal Storage as it will be wiped.
STEP 3: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking
You will now have to enable OEM Unlocking for the bootloader unlock process to start on your Nokia 8. Likewise, enable USB Debugging so as to establish a successful ADB Connection with your PC which will then allow the execution of ADB Commands. So go 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 to Stock Recovery
- 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 Recovery Mode:
adb reboot recovery
- You will now get the No Command screen, so press and hold the Power and Volume Up key and your device will be booted to Stock Recovery.
STEP 5: Downgrade Nokia 8 to Android 8.1 Oreo
- From stock recovery, use the Volume Key to highlight the “Apply Update from SD Card” option and then hit the Power key to confirm it.
- In most cases, it should automatically pick up the ZIP file. But if that doesn’t happen, then use the Volume keys to navigate to the firmware ZIP file and press the Power key to confirm it.
- You will get a ‘timestamp too old’ error, which is completely normal. Let the downgrade process complete, Once done, your device will come back to the stock recovery.
- Next up, you will have to decrypt the internal storage by formatting it. So select the Wipe Data/Factory Reset option via Volume keys and press the Power key to confirm it.
- Once the format is complete, remove the SIM Card from your device and then power it on. But do not connect your device to the Internet (in other words, don’t set up WiFi for now).
Get Nokia 8 Bootloader Unlock Key
- To begin with, download and install the Nokia Phone Unlock Bootloader app on your device.
- Then launch the app, type in your email address in the space provided, and hit Confirm.
- You will now get the Success message. Wait for a few minutes and Nokia will then email you a verification code.
- Now go to the Nokia bootloader unlock page and sign in with the same email ID that you had used in the Unlocker App.
- After that, type in the verification code in the space provided and hit Enter.
- Nokia will now send you the unlock.key file to your email ID, which you could then use to unlock the bootloader.
Boot Nokia 8 to Fastboot Mode
- 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
fastboot devices
Unlock Bootloader on Nokia 8
- To begin with, transfer the unlock.key file to the platform-tools folder.
- After that, open CMD inside that folder and type in the following two commands, one after the other:
fastboot flash unlock unlock.key fastboot oem unlock
- You will now get a confirmation message on your device. Use the Volume Keys to highlight the Unlock the Bootloader option and press the Power key to confirm it.
- Your device will now undergo a wipe and it will then subsequently boot to the OS, with an unlocked bootloader.
- The best way to verify if the bootloader has indeed been unlocked is to boot your device to Fastboot Mode and then check the status next to Device Status, it should now say unlocked.
So with this, we conclude this guide on how you could downgrade Nokia 8 to Android 8.1 Oreo and then unlock the bootloader. Judging by the fickle minded nature of this OEM, it may disable this procedure any time in the near future. So make full use of the same while it lasts. Rounding off, all your queries concerning the aforementioned steps are welcomed in the comments section below.
UPDATE 1 [14th January 2022]
Still, its the same old story as Nokia haven’t yet opened their servers for the bootloader unlocking process. However, the downgrade process from STEP 1 to STEP 5 still stands successful to this day. So if you are planning to opt for an unofficial method to carry out the bootloader unlock process on your Nokia 8, then you could still refer to the above steps 1 to 5 of this guide.
