flighty_sloth I did my Brave searches and found that. Tried it right away last night. Failed. Nothing worked. I just returned the damned thing to Amazon. I will go and get one from Best Buy.

    Cws6dNKPNL3j thank you kindly for all of this. Hopefully this will serve someone in the future. I decided to return the device to Amazon and to get one from Best Buy instead. These corporations can eat a dick. I am so tired of it.

      CodexAG Yeah, I usually just ask the seller to follow my instructions to enable their developer options and check OEM themselves before buying.

        I picked up an "unlocked" Pixel 8a at Best Buy an hour ago. Same problem. I ran system updates. Factory reset. Still can't toggle OEM Unlocking.

        • de0u replied to this.

          • [deleted]

          • Post #16
          • Edited

          Having the exact same problem. Got mine at Best Buy and can't unlock it.

          These models are identical to the ones from Google directly. I've read reports on Reddit and XDA of people purchasing directly from Google also not being able to unlock.

          Factory reset multiple times, connected to the internet overnight, tried the "checkin" dialer command. Nothing works.

          Very frustrating.

            @de0u and @tnk479 did you try ''Method 1'' in my post earlier?

            First thing I try is to go to Google's Stock ROM installer and plug the Pixel into a laptop using a Chrome based browser (Chromium, Brave work).
            Check for an update but don't install anything. Just check if you see anything relating to ''Verizon or T-Mobile''. This indicates that it is originally from one of these carriers and OEM unlock will not be available no matter what you try.

            I have had experience with phones from both Google directly and 3rd party sellers who say 'Factory Unlock' and yet when first running a check with the installer from Google, I see the dreaded Verizon/T-Mobile update.
            If you see this, the phone is no good for unlocking the bootloader no matter what the seller says.

              Cws6dNKPNL3j

              When I do that and I select the 14.0.0 release the following options are presented:

              • AT&T, T-Mobile
              • Verizon, gStore, CA, USC
              • KDDI
              • EMEA, APAC, JP
              • Default

              Is that the set of options you are referring to? From where does this phone originate?

                @tnk479 Making unsubstantiated claims like the one we've removed will result in your thread being locked and unlisted.

                  GrapheneOS

                  Sorry, what? I looked at your Twitter feed. I did not see anything about Pixel 8a and OEM Unlocking...if I am incorrect in that then I apologize. Your deletion and warning is seriously unwarranted. I am a GrapheneOS fan.

                      GrapheneOS Ahhh, I get it now. I should have said "Pixel 8a" and not Pixel??? Either way, if you're adamant that there's a fix, I am definitely loving that. Can't wait.

                        GrapheneOS And actually, not only am I a fan, I have donated a monthly amount through Github for quite some time now.

                          tnk479 Unlocking the Pixel 8a, installing GrapheneOS and locking it again works fine. Nothing is over for the Pixel 8a. You having issues with may be caused by your network or they may not have actually been unlocked devices. Best Buy and Amazon may have ended up with devices which aren't unlocked somehow. A significant logistics failure doesn't indicate any issue with the device model itself.

                              tnk479 I picked up an "unlocked" Pixel 8a at Best Buy an hour ago. Same problem. I ran system updates. Factory reset. Still can't toggle OEM Unlocking.

                              I would return it, go to a different Best Buy, and get a different one.

                                  [deleted] Having the exact same problem. Got mine at Best Buy and can't unlock it.

                                  These models are identical to the ones from Google directly. I've read reports on Reddit and XDA of people purchasing directly from Google also not being able to unlock.

                                  Factory reset multiple times, connected to the internet overnight, tried the "checkin" dialer command. Nothing works.

                                  Very frustrating.

                                  Maybe print out one or two of the reports in case you get pushback, but I would return the device and try another (ideally from a different Best Buy store if you have multiple available somewhat nearby).

                                    de0u I will try that. Please understand that there is a 45$ restock fee at Best Buy. So, I am hoping not to have to do this too many more times. To recap, I have ordered one on Amazon and returned it. I am now returning the 2nd one to Best Buy.

                                        GrapheneOS If there is no way to determine which "unlocked" phones are actually useable, then I would suggest you/we/GrapheneOS indeed has a problem. Maybe this is just semantics to you but in the real world this is going to cause confusion with a lot of people. I would highly suggest putting something out on Twitter to let people know.

                                          GrapheneOS Also, to clarify, I did not insert the SIM card. I connected the device to non-metered wifi. I also tested by inserting a SIM card and that made no difference.