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Here's how you can unlock the bootloader and root the Google Pixel 6a with Magisk
Looking to root your brand new Google Pixel 6a? Here's how to unlock the bootloader and root the latest mid-ranger Pixel smartphone!
It’s been a few weeks since Google unveiled the mid-ranger Pixel 6a, bringing several notable upgrades over previous Pixel-A series phones. Besides the availability of the Android 13 beta, the factory images and the kernel sources for the Pixel 6a have been published as well, which are just the right ingredients for the modding enthusiasts to start tinkering with the device.
Asus releases bootloader unlock tool, firmware, and kernel sources for the Zenfone 9
Asus has released the bootloader unlock tool, kernel source code, and official firmware packages for the newly launched Zenfone 9. Read on!
Asus is not usually counted among the most reputed or popular smartphone brands. Nonetheless, the Taiwanese OEM offers some of the most powerful and innovative pieces of hardware at compelling prices, like the recently launched Zenfone 9. The compact flagship is powered by high-end internals such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC and features a miniature gimbal stabilization system for its primary camera.
The Lenovo Smart Display can run regular Android apps, once you unlock the bootloader
You can now unlock the bootloader of your Lenovo Smart Display to bypass AVB, install a debug firmware, and run regular Android apps.
Google's efforts to get Android Things, a heavily stripped-down, Android-based operating system for Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, off the ground have never been very successful. That said, there’s one thing it was very good at: Powering up Google Assistant-backed smart speakers and displays. From the modding perspective, though, those devices are vastly inferior to regular Android smartphones and tablets. But this is XDA, and we try not to discriminate.
How to unlock the bootloader of the Nothing Phone 1 and root it with Magisk
Want to root your brand new Nothing Phone 1? Here's how to unlock the bootloader, flash a modified boot image, and install Magisk!
Upon the release of a new smartphone, a mission that many Android enthusiasts undertake is to unlock the bootloader and root the device. After this, typically comes a deluge of development in the form of custom ROMs, kernels, and other mods and tweaks. It can be said that the life of a device here at XDA doesn’t truly begin until the shackle (read "locked bootloader") has been thoroughly destroyed. For the Nothing Phone 1 community, that journey can start right now!
Asus ROG Phone 6 bootloader unlock tool and kernel source code are already available
Asus has released a bootloader unlock tool and the kernel sources for the newly launched ROG Phone 6 series. Read on to know more about these!
The "Republic of Gamers" (ROG) smartphone lineup from Asus is quite popular among mobile gamers. With each generation of ROG phones, the Taiwanese OEM has continued to push the boundary of smartphone hardware. The recently released ROG Phone 6 series is a prime example, offering a 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, up to a whopping 18GB of RAM, a total 6,000mAh battery, 65W fast charging, a 3.5mm headphone jack (yes!), a plethora of gaming features, and much more. Now, in a bid to comply with the requirements of GPL v2 and help the aftermarket development community get the ball rolling on building ROMs and kernels, Asus has released the official bootloader unlock tool and the kernel sources for the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro.
How to unlock the T-Mobile LG Velvet bootloader and root it with Magisk
You can now unlock the bootloader of the T-Mobile variant of the LG Velvet and root it using Magisk. Read on to know how to do it!
Unlocking the bootloader, rooting a device, and flashing aftermarket ROMs are popular hobbies here at XDA. The power user community holds the ability to mod their devices in high regard, and they almost find no interest in phones if they are not able to be bootloader unlocked. Many legacy devices are actually kept alive by third-party ROMs, which are also godsends for smartphones that are standing on the verge of losing official support. LG, for example, no longer makes Android smartphones, hence owners of LG devices might want to settle with custom ROMs in the near future. However, the process isn't exactly straightforward due to LG's bootloader unlocking policy.
Some Vivo devices with Qualcomm processors can now be bootloader unlocked, unofficially
You can now unofficially unlock the bootloader of the Vivo X70 Pro Plus and a couple of other Vivo smartphones. Read on to know more!
What’s the best modding-friendly Android OEM in the market right now? Depending on who you ask this question to, the answer could range from Google to OnePlus to Xiaomi to something else entirely. And that is perfectly alright, as each of those companies have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to aftermarket development, and they satisfy different needs for different people. But if you were looking to buy an affordable smartphone solely for modding, Vivo will confidently not be your first choice.
You can now unlock the bootloader of your Realme GT 2 Pro
Realme has finally released the bootloader unlock tool for its flagship Realme GT 2 Pro, kicking off third-party development for the device.
The Realme GT 2 Pro is a ludicrous device, to say the least. As is with products falling within the flagship genre, Realme has gone overboard with just about everything on the device, giving us one of the most powerful Android smartphones till date. The phone comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, up to 12GB RAM and 512GB UFS 3.1 storage, a 120Hz QHD+ AMOLED LTPO display with a claimed 1000Hz touch sampling rate, dual stereo speakers, 50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor, and of course, a massive 5,000 mAh battery with 65W fast charging support. Now, Realme is offering more choices to users in the software department as the company has opened up bootloader unlocking on the device.
Unlocking the bootloader doesn't break the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S22 series
Bootloader unlock, but at the cost of your cameras? Worry not, the Samsung Galaxy S22 doesn't feature any camera-breaking security measure.
Part of the struggle for our readers looking to purchase Samsung's latest and greatest flagship device — the Galaxy S22 series — is the fact that these devices are quite difficult to tinker about, especially when it comes to avoiding tripping security flags. While Knox tends to break a lot of things if you root, users in the U.S. and Canada can’t even unlock the bootloader of the Samsung Galaxy flagships to run third-party codes in the first place. Moreover, when the OEM started killing the camera after bootloader unlocking, many of us feared the worst. Fortunately, Samsung discontinued that practice, and it seems that the owners of the Galaxy S22 series have absolutely no reason to worry about broken camera access with an unlocked bootloader as well.
JingPad A1 bootloader unlock tool, Android ROM, and source code are now available
The JingPad A1 can now be bootloader unlocked. Its maker has also released an Android ROM and published the sources for the tablet. Read on!
The JingPad A1 was launched back in August last year with the tagline: "World’s First Consumer-Level Linux Tablet." This device, complete with its gigantic 11-inch 4:3 AMOLED display, Unisoc Tiger T7510 SoC, an 8,000mAh battery with 18W wired charging support, and a premium design, brought tough competition to other Linux-powered ARM64 tablets like the Pine64 PineTab. Powered by the in-house Linux distribution called JingOS, the JingPad A1 can also run Android apps using WayDroid. Now, Jingling Tech, maker of the JingPad, is offering more choices to users in the software department as the company has opened up bootloader unlocking on the device, published a dedicated Android ROM, and also released its sources.
You can now unlock the bootloader of your Realme GT Neo 2
Realme is finally allowing bootloader unlocking for the Realme GT Neo 2 -- an affordable flagship featuring Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 chip.
In October last year, Realme launched the Realme GT Neo 2 in the Indian market. The affordable flagship packed Qualcomm's Snapdragon 870 chip, a 6.62-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display, up to 12GB RAM, and up to 256GB storage. The device also featured an impressive 64MP quad-camera setup, a 5,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging support, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. Even with such hardware, the Realme GT Neo 2 launched at a starting price of just ₹31,999, making it a great buy in the affordable flagship space.
Unlocking the bootloader no longer kills the Galaxy Z Fold 3's cameras
Unlocking the Galaxy Z Fold 3's bootloader no longer kills camera functions on One UI 4 beta based on Android 12. Read on to learn more.
Shortly after the Galaxy Z Fold 3 landed in the hands of developers on our forums, we learned that Samsung had added yet another roadblock for aftermarket development to the device. XDA Senior Members 白い熊 and ianmacd found that unlocking the device's bootloader disabled its cameras, preventing them from using all camera-related features. At the time, we weren't sure why Samsung would go to such lengths to prevent users from modding their own devices, but the company now seems to have backtracked on this implementation.
LG will shut down its bootloader unlocking service on December 31
LG has announced that it will shut down its official bootloader unlocking tool on December 31, making it difficult for users to install custom ROMs on their devices.
When LG officially announced its exit from the smartphone market earlier this year, it reassured LG smartphone users that it would continue to provide software updates for some devices. However, this software update commitment only applied to a few of LG's recent smartphones. Users with older LG phones were left with no option but to install a custom ROM to get the latest Android releases on their devices. However, that option might not be available for long, as LG has now announced that it's shutting down its bootloader unlock service next month.
OnePlus will still let you unlock the bootloader of its new phones
Alongside its announcement of the unified global OS, OnePlus has reiterated that it will continue to support bootloader unlocking.
OnePlus today announced the merger of OxygenOS and ColorOS into a unified Global OS, following the merger of HydrogenOS into ColorOS in China as well as the recent codebase integration of OxygenOS with ColorOS. While the company has not yet shared the name of what this new OS will be called, it has made a key announcement of interest to the custom ROM community: OnePlus will continue to offer bootloader unlocking on its new phones.
Samsung kills the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 if you unlock the bootloader
Unlocking the bootloader of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 reportedly breaks all the camera-related functionalities. Read on to know more!
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 represent the best foldable technologies that Samsung can provide to its consumers. Needless to say, if you are in the market right now for a premium smartphone, the latest Galaxy Z lineup will surely figure in your list as a possible purchase option. While the hardware and software combo make these devices great for most buyers, advanced users and enthusiasts might still feel the need to unlock the bootloader and root these devices to unleash their true potential. Unfortunately, Samsung already makes it extremely difficult to have root access without tripping the security flags, and now the Korean OEM has introduced yet another roadblock for aftermarket development. In its latest move, Samsung disables the cameras on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 after you unlock the bootloader.
This exploit lets you unlock the bootloader of the Google Chromecast with Google TV
You can unlock the bootloader of the Google Chromecast with Google TV to run unsigned code or boot a custom OS, but there are some caveats.
The Google Chromecast with Google TV is one of the best media streaming dongles out there. The little piece of hardware not only unlocks 4K video streaming at 60fps for connected devices, but it also brings support for HDR content, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos audio. The device can even be considered a capable gaming console thanks to receiving official support for Google's Stadia cloud gaming service. Now, developers have been able to successfully unlock its bootloader, opening up even more possibilities.
T-Mobile OnePlus 8T can now be rebranded without unlocking the bootloader
Here's how you can easily convert the T-Mobile variant of the OnePlus 8T to the international version without an unlocked bootloader.
Those of you who purchased a OnePlus 8T on T-Mobile (sold as the "OnePlus 8T+ 5G") and were disappointed with the carrier’s slower updates may now rejoice. You can now get rid of the T-Mobile software and install the international OxygenOS firmware on the T-Mobile OnePlus 8T without even unlocking the bootloader of the device!
HMD Global's Nokia 2.2 can now be bootloader unlocked
If you're willing to do a bit of tinkering, then you should be able to unlock the bootloader of the Nokia 2.2. Read on to know more!
Back in 2019, HMD Global's efforts at producing a budget-friendly smartphone yielded the Nokia 2.2. Despite the company's substantial efforts at marketing the device with its "Android One" goodness, enthusiasts weren’t impressed. The first thing that made XDA users hesitate with the purchase more than anything was HMD Global's weird stance towards bootloader unlocking. Yes, you can make calls, browse the web, get quick updates, and so on, but the Nokia 2.2 is still restricted when it comes to aftermarket development.
ASUS releases the bootloader unlock tool and kernel source for the ROG Phone 5
ASUS has released the bootloader unlock tool and kernel source code for the newly launched ROG Phone 5. Read on to know more about these!
The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is now officially out, and the reviews are raving wild, including our own. The device packs incredible oomph, such as a 6.78″ FHD+ AMOLED display with a Snapdragon 888 SoC, up to 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM with 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage (on the "Ultimate" variant), dual 3,000mAh batteries, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The history of ASUS’ friendliness towards aftermarket development tends to result in a flourishing of activity on our forums. We hope the same is true for the latest ROG Phone, but only time will tell if the modding scene will pick up on the phone. To facilitate custom development, ASUS has now released the bootloader unlock tool and kernel sources for the ROG Phone 5.
Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B bootloader unlock guide and kernel source code are now available
Micromax has released a bootloader unlock guide and kernel sources for the IN Note 1 and IN 1B, kicking off third-party development for the device duo.
Indian smartphone OEM Micromax attempted a comeback last year with the launch of two budget-friendly devices — the Micromax IN Note 1 and IN 1B. What's more interesting is that the company seemingly wants to make the IN series at least a partial spiritual successor to the YU lineup. The phones come with a close to stock Android build with little to no bloat included, while Micromax has also vowed to deliver “two years” of Android updates. Now, the company made another step towards promoting third-party development for the device duo: kernel sources.