5 ms·

> unlockable by a single switch in the developer settings Nexuses/Pixels, OnePlus, Xiaomi's Android One line (Mi A1/A2) do not require unlock codes.

snaky 8y ago
You can unlock the bootloader on almost any smartphone nowadays, but every one of them requires original firmware installed to lock it back.
- veeti 8y ago
  Google Pixel (and Nexus before it) can be locked with custom signing keys.
  - snaky 8y ago
    If you are talking about this https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/31765.html https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/31765.html does it still work on recent Pixel devices?
    - bubblethink 8y ago
      Self signing is one of the main reasons to buy a pixel. CopperheadOS (now dead) used that. For aosp builds with self signing, look at rattlesnakeos on github.
JoshuaAshton 8y ago
Yeah I know quite a lot of Android phones do support this, which is why I mentioned it, however some phones still don't have this functionality or require me to mess on with some online/call service to receive and unlock code.
- jstanley 8y ago
  So just buy one that does support it.
  - shittyadmin 8y ago
    Yup, I outright refuse to buy a device which doesn't support trivial firmware unlocking. Google's official "fastboot oem unlock" and a forced wipe of the device seems like the best compromise between freedom and security around. OnePlus and Google still honor warranties on unlocked devices so I've been sticking with them, but may hop over to Xiaomi due to the high prices of newer OnePlus and Google devices next time - if only they had one with a 3.5mm jack and NFC this would be a no-brainer. Still running my OnePlus one nearly 4 years in...
    - igor47 8y ago
      I am still using my Nexus 5 for this reason. I bought a Huawei phone last week, and discovered that they stopped releasing bootloader unlock codes a month prior. So I returned it and got a Sony XA2 ! Sony is surprisingly good in this domain with an online unlock app and even raw AOSP builds from the manufacturer! I had my new phone running lineage within a few hours.

snaky 8y ago

You can unlock the bootloader on almost any smartphone nowadays, but every one of them requires original firmware installed to lock it back.

veeti 8y ago
Google Pixel (and Nexus before it) can be locked with custom signing keys.
- snaky 8y ago
  If you are talking about this https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/31765.html https://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/31765.html does it still work on recent Pixel devices?
  - bubblethink 8y ago
    Self signing is one of the main reasons to buy a pixel. CopperheadOS (now dead) used that. For aosp builds with self signing, look at rattlesnakeos on github.

JoshuaAshton 8y ago

Yeah I know quite a lot of Android phones do support this, which is why I mentioned it, however some phones still don't have this functionality or require me to mess on with some online/call service to receive and unlock code.

jstanley 8y ago
So just buy one that does support it.
- shittyadmin 8y ago
  Yup, I outright refuse to buy a device which doesn't support trivial firmware unlocking. Google's official "fastboot oem unlock" and a forced wipe of the device seems like the best compromise between freedom and security around. OnePlus and Google still honor warranties on unlocked devices so I've been sticking with them, but may hop over to Xiaomi due to the high prices of newer OnePlus and Google devices next time - if only they had one with a 3.5mm jack and NFC this would be a no-brainer. Still running my OnePlus one nearly 4 years in...
  - igor47 8y ago
    I am still using my Nexus 5 for this reason. I bought a Huawei phone last week, and discovered that they stopped releasing bootloader unlock codes a month prior. So I returned it and got a Sony XA2 ! Sony is surprisingly good in this domain with an online unlock app and even raw AOSP builds from the manufacturer! I had my new phone running lineage within a few hours.