graphhorse Is there a way to reinstall the OS w/out unlocking bootloader?
There is ZERO need to "reinstall" to begin with. A factory reset as @Watermelon commented in the mentioned thread is all that's needed.
I've been around long enough to trust Watermelon, however a word of caution: it is always recommended to follow the Official GrapheneOS documentation or Google Pixel documentation (when it comes to standard Pixel/AOSP support) on the website over what some random person on the internet said.
Google Pixel Factory Reset Documentation: https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/4596836?hl=en#zippy=%2Cwith-your-phones-buttons-advanced
See here:
matchboxbananasynergy A factory reset accomplishes the same thing as re-flashing GrapheneOS. You don't need to re-flash.
To quote another forum moderator:
treequell you can factory reset from recovery mode by following these steps.
Using the volume buttons to navigate and the power button to select:
Power off then hold Power + Volume DOWN simultaneously until the bootloader screen appears,
Use the volume DOWN button to navigate to Recovery Mode and use Power to select,
You should then see an Android lying down with chest opened,
Press Power + tap volume UP just once and immediately release both,
Use the volume DOWN button to navigate to Wipe Data/Factory Reset,
Press Power to select,
Press volume DOWN and use Power to select 'Yes',
Wait for the process to complete and then reboot the phone.
Regarding the following:
Fay_Wilmont you can flash a GrapheneOS device with the same or a newer version as the one installed without needing to unlock the bootloader.
graphhorse How?
It's called Sideloading and you can find the official documentation here: https://grapheneos.org/usage#updates-sideloading