'Side of Burritos' on youtube performs careful research for his youtube-guides for GrapheneOS and tries to provide a firm foundation for anything stated in a video.

He shared a lesson learned the hard way. He had bought a Verizon Pixel variant and was unable to unlock the bootloader.

After researching the matter, he learned that since 2012 Verizon supports locking bootloaders.

"How to install GrapheneOS on a Pixel (GrapheneOS Guide ROM Web Installer)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ki8xQT6Das

Verizon reveals locked bootloader stance in FCC letter, dodges Block C question / In a letter to the FCC, Verizon has said that it supports locking bootloaders so as not to "negatively impact" the customer experience.
https://www.theverge.com/2012/3/1/2835432/verizon-fcc-locked-bootloader

Letter From Verizon to FCC Details Their Stance on Bootloaders
https://www.droid-life.com/2012/02/29/letter-from-verizon-to-fcc-details-their-stance-on-bootloaders/

Those types of phones are always "contract locked" unless you buy it on the second hand market.
Then they are still linked to a real person, which just might not be you but it doesn't make the device "clean".
Means you need to provide your own identity (and register serial numbers and IMEI to both Verizon and Google)
Not sure it's the best thing you can do, since even if you install GOS, and your goal is to untie some tracking,
the IMEI you broadcast will be linked to a real identity, whether it's you or not is another question.

Bouzenzel But the option is available ! i think the installation of GOS is possible

If the OEM-unlock slider works I expect you'll be able to install GrapheneOS, and I suspect it won't be a Verizon-specific device.

I think you can determine a device's variant here: https://store.google.com/repair

    Bouzenzel If its a Verizon brand, probably not, if OEM unlocking can be enabled (as in, its not greyed out) then you can try I suppose...

      It is widely known and has been discussed on here numerous times that Verizon disables the ability to unlock their device's OEM and bootloader and they claim to not be able to undo it. This is why it's stated on the GrapheneOS website that "devices sold in partnership with specific carriers may be locked by the carrier, which will prevent installing GrapheneOS. This is primarily an issue with US carriers and isn't common elsewhere in the world. To avoid this, either don't buy a carrier device, or make sure it can be unlocked. It's the same hardware/firmware/software either way but carriers dislike having devices able to bypass their paywall for tethering, etc., so they disable it for the devices they sell as part of contracts."

      https://grapheneos.org/faq#device-support

        If the OEM Unlocking toggle works you can install GrapheneOS and it is very unlikely to be a Verizon variant.

        3 months later

        ErnestThornhill what that post doesn't say is even if Graphene is installed on a Verizon phone,
        'Pixels include a suite of Verizon apps like all other Android devices with full Verizon support. GrapheneOS doesn't fully support Verizon with features like Wi-Fi calling due to not including these.
        I wish they made that more obvious. I really need wifi calling.
        this link with info I posted above is date Aug 16 d2024
        https://discuss.grapheneos.org/d/14993-debunking-fake-stock-pixel-os-vulnerability-from-an-edr-company/13

            Craig_L

            I am on verizon and after reading your comment figured why not give it a try. I forced wifi calling via airplane mode then enable wifi. Called my wife's phone and it worked fine. Is it some sort of advanced functions that do not work? My phone has zero verizon or google services on it. I put graphene on it before I ever installed the sim card or connected to any network.