I know this question has been asked before in various forms, but I am not finding a case I think matches...

I got a used Pixel 7a that was listed as unlocked but it won't let me OEM unlock it through the developer settings (setting is disabled). I understand this is a thing with Verizon sold Pixels, but I don't see any indication this is a Verizon device. How do I check (or OEM unlock another way if there is an approach I missed).

According to the Google repair page it shows: "Pixel 7a Charcoal 128GB (Unlocked)."

Thanks

  • de0u replied to this.

    jesse Can you report which steps have been tried so far? How long has the device had continuous access to the Internet?

        de0u

        Yeah, I really have not done a huge amount:

        • Set up the phone and it's been on wifi for a few hours.
        • Added a Google account after setup (over an hour ago).
        • Turned on developer mode and confirmed I could not turn on OEM unlock.
        • Enabled ADB.
        • Rebooted into the boot loader and see "Device Status: Locked". While there I also ran "fastboot flashing unlock" on the off chance it did something, but it failed.

        Other notes:

        • I have not put a sim in the phone yet.
        • It is running the Nov 5, 2024 update of Android 15. I have not installed pending updates.

        I am happy to just leave the phone on wifi for a day and see if the setting enables itself

        Thanks for any ideas

            jesse unfortunately it's unlikely this will unlock. The "check" to see if the phone can be OEM unlocked (once connected to internet) doesn't take very long. Maybe a few minutes at most.

            This has happened to me to an "unlocked" phone. Unfortunately, it's only referring to being carrier unlocked.

            When I purchase a second hand model, I now thoroughly check the model and IMEI if I can get that info to determine how/from who it was originally purchased.

            Good luck!

              Thanks. I was kinda suspecting it wasn't going to change.

              Part of what is confusing me is that I can't find any indication of why it won't unlock (even with the IMEI). That's annoying by itself but it also means that, had I tried to vet this phone moru carefully based on the imei, I still wouldn't have caught this.

              What do you do to verify that a phone is unlockable? What should I check in the future?

                jesse

                FYI - be sure to hit "reply" on the post you're replying to so I'm notified of your response

                I'm not sure if this is fool proof but it's worked for me several times. If I have the IMEI, I'll check if it's carrier locked. If it is, it's not necessarily a deal breaker, as some carriers will allow unlocking the bootloader, but I haven't risked it. If it's carrier unlocked, that gives me hope, but still no guarantee at all.

                Next is I check the exact SKU of that model and I'll look that up. For example, If I saw a Pixel 8 for sale on eBay and the model listed was GA04803-US, I would search that. I see that this is the (Unlocked) option from best buy. This gives me a lot of confidence that it's bootloader can be unlocked.

                Again, no idea if there's a better technique, but that's what I do.

                    GrouchyGrape

                    Thanks for the reply. That's what has me confused, on the Google repair page, the IMEI pulls up:

                    Pixel 7a Charcoal 128GB (Unlocked)

                    IMEIcheck.com gives me:

                    Model: Pixel 7a
                    Description: Pixel 7a Charcoal 128GB
                    IMEI: xxxxx
                    Serial: xxxxx
                    Model Number: GWKK3
                    Size: 128GB
                    Color: Charcoal
                    Year manufactured: 2023
                    Activation Status: Activated

                    GWKK3 appears to be an ATT/T-Mobile version, but I thought that wasn't normally a problem?

                    Just trying to figure out how to not have this happen again.

                        jesse oh yeah, weird. This definitely looks like you should be able to unlock it..

                            GrouchyGrape

                            I am glad I am not the only one not seeing where the problem is... Heh

                              Did you try updating the phone to the latest software?

                                Overheat1859 I have not yet. I will give that a try. I figured I would ask around before running an update as options for rolling them back are limited.

                                  Overheat1859 I just updated the OS, let it sit for an hour (with wifi), rebooted, and let it sit for another 30 minutes on wifi. I also tried a reboot after the update.

                                  It reports that I am on the latest OS (Feb update).

                                  Still no ability to unlock it...

                                  • de0u replied to this.

                                      jesse I think the standard recommendations include:

                                      • Factory reset
                                      • Dial *#*#CHECKIN#*#* (*#*#2432546#*#*)
                                      • Send it back to the seller

                                      Note that in order for the "Check-In" step to work the device needs genuine unfiltered access to the Internet, i.e., if the router has an ad blocker or a content filter or a built-in VPN, etc., those are all candidates for blocking the unlock.

                                      jesse Just trying to figure out how to not have this happen again.

                                      Buying from a seller who says "factory unlocked" (not just "unlocked") may help. Buying from a seller with a good return policy is probably prudent.

                                            de0u Thanks for the info. The wifi network it is on has unfiltered internet access.

                                            Checkin succeeded before a factory reset and after factory reset. I will keep an eye on it to see if it catches up (but not expecting anything).

                                            The factory unlocked note is a good one as is the return policy. I would rather not buy and return a bunch of phones to get one that will work.

                                              de0u Also, do you have places you can suggest for buying used phones? Thanks.

                                              • de0u replied to this.

                                                  jesse Also, do you have places you can suggest for buying used phones?

                                                  That depends on which country you're in.

                                                      de0u fair - I am in the US. I think Ebay has some good candidates.

                                                      • de0u replied to this.

                                                          jesse I recently bought two used 6a's on eBay (for a specific purpose -- I would generally recommend the 8 series due to MTE) from a large-count high-star seller, and both were fine. But I would look for "factory unlocked" and a solid return policy.

                                                              de0u Thatks for the info. I have given up on this 7a and will return it.

                                                              This device is mostly intended to test drive Graphene (and maybe other roms). The working plan is to move to a higher end/larger pixel with a custom ROM if everything goes smoothly. Having said that, I should look into the 8 options more before I decide.