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GrapheneOS And actually, not only am I a fan, I have donated a monthly amount through Github for quite some time now.
Purchased Unlocked Pixel 8a but the OEM unlocking option is disabled
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.
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[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).
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.
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tnk479 Please understand that there is a 45$ restock fee at Best Buy.
Maybe try bringing Reddit/XDA printouts with you to support the claim that what you were sold is not the device you purchased. I think Best Buy does sell carrier-locked Pixels, so it is possible there was a mix-up in terms of labelling.
tnk479 To recap, I have ordered one on Amazon and returned it. I am now returning the 2nd one to Best Buy.
Is the Google Store an option? One advantage of going that route is that they have some end-user support, though only for devices purchased directly from them.
tnk479 I am not at all an authority on decoding Google Pixel packaging.
My personal history is one 3a ordered from Amazon (unlocked easily), one 6a ordered from Amazon (could not unlock, thus returned), and one 6a ordered from Google (unlocked easily). Both of the 6a's had the same SKU (GA03715-US). The early 6a's were unusually hard to unlock. I think I correctly went through all of the recommended rituals to unlock the 6a I got from Amazon, but who knows?
What I do know is that Google's end-user support flatly refused to provide input on unlocking a device purchased from anywhere but the Google store, and that 100% of the purchases I have made from the Google store (i.e., one purchase out of one purchase) unlocked easily. Meanwhile, there are many reports of people buying "unlocked" devices from Best Buy and easily unlocking them.
A Pixel from the Google Store is guaranteed to be able to be unlocked. A non-carrier Pixel from elsewhere should also be fine unless the retailer is doing something wrong such as mixing inventory between carrier and non-carrier Pixels. There mostly aren't separate SKUs for carrier Pixels but rather it's a dynamic thing determined based on how they decided to sell it. That's why it needs internet access to check whether it's a carrier Pixel or not. They started out with a Verizon partnership where they had regular Pixels and Verizon Pixels but moved away from that to simply having Pixels which can be sold locked by a carrier via an entry in their server-side database. Recently, a few people have had issues with this. If they claim it's unlocked but it isn't, then it's false advertising and there should be no issue getting money back. It should also put it on their radar that something is wrong if they're competent but unfortunately that's a lot to ask...
tnk479 The retailer is doing something wrong such as marking it as being sold as a carrier Pixel when they aren't. There isn't any hardware/firmware difference and there doesn't have to be a separate SKU (we don't know if they still have separate SKUs for Verizon, but Verizon Pixels used to be the same hardware/firmware with a carrierid flashed at the factory).
Has anyone been able to OEM unlock any Pixel 8a yet and if so where did they purchase from? I purchased a unlocked Pixel 8a from Target with the same grayed out issue. Before I return the device and reroll a phone from Best Buy it would be good to confirm if anyone has succeeded at this. Otherwise refund and pickup a Pixel 7a, 7 or 7 pro.
I recently purchased a Pixel 8a (Unlocked) from the Google Store and am also facing the "OEM Unlocking" setting being greyed out issue. After recieving the phone I connected it to Wi-Fi and two carriers to test it (AT&T and a Verizon based MVNO), as well as updating all software. I'm in contact with Google support to try and get this option enabled, but am still unsure whether the SIM card's caused this issue.
Tomorrow I will try and test out factory resetting, software updates, and other solutions proposed in this thread. I can also confirm on the Google Store warranty page it is a Pixel 8a (Fi), not Unlocked like ordered.
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GrapheneOS "A Pixel from the Google Store is guaranteed to be able to be unlocked."
I do not believe this is true.
There is a report on XDA and a report on Reddit of people having the OEM Unlocking function greyed out on their Pixel 8as purchased directly from Google.
GrapheneOS Is it acceptable to post the Reddit and XDA forum posts of other people having issues unlocking the bootloader of Pixel 8a's?
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michaelsoftbinbows I'm starting to think no one has. I actually have yet to see a single report of anyone being able to successfully OEM unlock their 8a, regardless of where it was purchased from.
I wouldn't go through the hassle of returning and rebuying just yet. Hopefully we can get some light shined on this soon.
Something weird is going on here. It seems almost exactly like the 6a situation when that released.
jahim663 I can also confirm on the Google Store warranty page it is a Pixel 8a (Fi), not Unlocked like ordered.
This does seem like something for their support people to work on, so it's good it's in their hands. If, hypothetically, they are shipping the wrong devices to end users, maybe they are also shipping the wrong devices to retailers.
Please report back!
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jahim663 My Best Buy model lists it as (Fi) as well.
Which is curious because if that means it's a Google Fi branded model, it should still be bootloader unlockable, as phones purchased through Google Fi have always been fully unlocked (sim and bootloader) Pixels.