• Off TopicPixel 7

  • How to link pixel 7 (or any other pixel) with QPST or a similar program?

Hi to everyone again =)!

I am still trying to get over a carrier lock of a bootloader. One of the possible solutions may be to change IMEI1 and IMEI2 on the device. I tried to find anything on that topic on google but couldn’t find anything specific and what would actually work.

As I think, the best way would be to somehow link pixel 7 with QPST tool (or a program alike) -> download firmware of the modem -> alter it -> then upload it back to the device. BUT… I have no idea how to make QPST to see the com port of the phone. QPST just doesn’t see it whatever I do. Maybe because now it has this new tensor chipset and it’s just not compatible with the program.

Guys, does anybody know if there’s actually a way to make QPST to see the device? Is that even possible? I know that people did it for pixel 5 and below, but there’s no mention on the internet of pixel 7 and above have ever been connected to QPST and flashed via this tool.

If QPST is not compatible with the pixel series of smartphones anymore, is there any other tool like QPST, which can be used for these purposes?

Thanks in advance!

  • de0u replied to this.

    The tools you mentioned are for Snapdragon-based devices and Tensor-based Pixels would not be supported. Even if there is a tool (there is none), it would not be something we're going to instruct because the negatives intensely outweigh the positives and it would promote privacy theater behaviour to users who think there is a security or privacy benefit to changing the IMEI - which there isn't any.

    You would be better off trying to swap the phone or contacting the carrier it's locked with to attempt to remove it that way.

      final
      Thanks for your reply...

      I have already convinced the seller that he returns my money back =) but anyway it's an interesting topic and I thought, that there is a guide on how to change IMEI on GOS.

      I am not trying to do it for privacy enhancement or anything like that, it’s just my pure curiosity. Is there a way to do that or there is none?

          final the negatives intensely outweigh the positives and it would promote privacy theater behaviour to users who think there is a security or privacy benefit to changing the IMEI - which there isn't any.

          Could you elaborate the negatives, and why do you think there is no privacy benefit to changing the IMEI?

            Xtreix well
            Well… I definitely won’t agree with “### Changing the IMEI is a security/privacy theater in most cases.”. The Government agencies don’t need a phone number or information about your carrier to be able to track you down. They simply need to trace your IMEI number and then even if you don’t have your sim card installed to the phone, they can easily track your location down using a special tool called “cyber case”. I even have photos from the recent leak of how the tool looks like. It can search you by many different identifiers and IMEI is among them. Scares the sh*t out of me actually.

            That’s why a possibility to spoof or change IMEI manually may be a very useful feature for some users.
            BTW If you want, I can post photos of the tool that you all can see the scope of the problem =)

              other8026 locked the discussion .

              The topic of IMEIs has already been discussed on this forum many times. Identifiers are necessary for cell service to work. If that concerns any of the community members here, use Airplane mode. The hardware in Pixels, from what I understand, do not support changing the IMEI, so discussing the topic doesn't have much value or is even relevant to GrapheneOS anyway.

              Cellular service providers keep logs. This much is obvious. Some governments have access to logs, or it is trivial for entities such as law enforcement to obtain logs. Sharing unverified pictures or documents about programs where governments or spy agencies collect and/or process this data is not only off topic, but is against the rules (politics and possibly conspiracy theories depending on whether the information has been verified).

              Please keep discussion here rational and on topic.