Is it possible to install GrapheneOS on a T-Mobile MVNO Pixel 6a?

steelblue

Hi all,
I believe I posted on this forum a while ago about the Pixel 6a, but that was before I found out I couldn't unlock the bootloader without waiting until 180 days after the phone was purchased (in this case it's a Metro by T-Mobile 6a).
I've been using an old Motorola running Lineage in the meantime and it hasn't been the smoothest experience. The 6a has about 30 days left until it's eligible for carrier unlocking and possibly a bootloader unlock.
I searched around the internet and couldn't find any info on Metro-branded Pixels and custom ROMs. Do you guys think I'll be able to do it? I have some hope as I was able to unlock the bootloader on the Motorola mentioned previously (and that was a Metro device), but reading the horror stories about Verizon Pixels (unrelated but still) has made me a little worried. And even if I'm able to unlock the bootloader, are there any other issues I might encounter?

This has not been a very pleasant journey and I'm glad it might be almost over. I'm not wealthy and the only reason I was able to afford the 6a is that Metro was offering them for less than $180 with an upgrade discount. Sure beats a low-end Samsung, haha.

43t34fg4

I mean, is the cell service under your name/address (or family) AKA tied to your info anyway? I recommend prepaid service (which Metro is) in an alias name and the phone itself paid for in-store, unlocked, with cash. If you prefer T-Mobile, can go with Mint Mobile instead of Metro. Sorry if this isn't really any help, just wanted to bring it to your attention if your goal is privacy and whatnot.

steelblue

43t34fg4 I'm pretty young so my parents still pay for my cellular service. I did pay for the phone, though. All of the phones in our family are under my father's name (for example: 1-800-000-0000 is tied to John Doe, and so is 1-800-000-0001, 1-800-000-0002, and so on). My name has never been associated with anything as far as I know. They also have an address, but it's not our current one and hasn't been for years.
Probably not ideal but it's not completely terrible. Will definitely look into the stuff you mentioned once I'm out on my own.

ErnestThornhill I feared there'd be more to it, aw man. If I'm not able to do anything, I suppose I'll just get a summer job and maybe pick up an 8a once that comes out. Thank you for the info.

ErnestThornhill

Carrier variants of Pixels use the same stock OS and firmware with a non-zero carrier id flashed onto the persist partition in the factory. The carrier id activates carrier-specific configuration in the stock OS including disabling carrier and bootloader unlocking. The carrier may be able to remotely disable this, but their support staff may not be aware and they probably won't do it. Get a carrier agnostic device to avoid the risk and potential hassle. If you CAN figure out a way to unlock a carrier device, it isn't a problem as GrapheneOS can just ignore the carrier id and the hardware is the same.

https://grapheneos.org/install/web#prerequisites

de0u

steelblue I feared there'd be more to it, aw man.

Getting T-Mobile to unlock the bootloader is technically possible. They may or may not have a policy against it, but as ErnestThornhill wrote, even if it's policy-ok probably fewer than 1% of T-Mobile "techs" know how to do it. Here are a couple of suggestions for getting connected with the right kind of tech:

Use the special keyword "Shiboleet" (just kidding),
Be as polite as possible, and explain that you know you're asking for something very unusual,
Ask if you can speak with somebody who trains the techs,
Ask if there is a tech who runs a custom OS on a phone.

Overall, getting the phone carrier-unlocked may be easy, but unfortunately getting it bootloader-unlocked might not be possible. Good luck!