With this guide, we will see how to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader, an essential step if you want to start modding on this smartphone with the Android operating system. The first thing that must be done in fact when you want to start with modding on the latest generation Android devices is to unlock the Bootloader, without this vital step it is in fact practically impossible to be able to perform important customizations on the Android device. With the unlocking of the Bootloader, the doors are opened towards the installation of a Custom Recovery such as TWRP, installation of custom ROMs, Root permissions, and much more. Regardless of what you want to do and your system m0d needs, there is no way to work around it, and you need to unlock the Bootloader on your Android device. Fortunately, Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL quickly, and in this guide, we will see how to proceed with the various steps.
Before starting with this guide to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader, you need to know that:
- Unblocking the bootloader will restore the device to factory status, so you will lose all the data saved there, which is why it is crucial to back up your most important data before starting with this guide.
- The smartphone with the unlocking of the Bootloader will have problems with SafetyNet, but with Magisk you will be able to perform the fix
To unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader, you will need:
- Google Pixel 3a possibly with a 100% battery charge
- PC with Windows operating system
- A USB cable to connect the smartphone to the PC
- ADB and Fastboot to use on the PC
Here are the steps to follow to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader:
- View the “Developer Options”– the first step to follow in order to unlock the Bootloader on Google Pixel 3a is to enable the Developer Options. These are by default hidden, so it will be necessary to make them visible in the following way:
- Access the Pixel 3a Settings
- Scroll through the various items up to About phone and access them
- From the new screen, you should see the Build Number entry. Tap on this item 7 times with your finger, until you see a message appear on the screen to show you that “you have become a developer.” You may be required to enter your password or PIN if you have used security measures and once entered correctly, you will be ready for the next step
- Enable OEM unlocking- now that you have enabled and made the Developer Options visible, open the main Settings menu and select the System item, then click on Advanced and access the Developer Options. From this window, look for the OEM Unlock option and press on it once with your finger. You may be asked to enter a PIN or password if set, then press the Enable button to confirm the choice from the popup message
- Start the device in Fastboot Mode: with the previous steps you have set up your smartphone so that you can unlock the Bootloader. Now you will need to proceed as follows:
- Long press the Power button on your smartphone and then press Turn Off to completely turn off the device
- Now that the Google Pixel 3a is off hold down the power button and the Low Volume button at the same time until the main Fastboot Mode menu is displayed
- Now you can leave the phone in this mode as everything else will be done with the use of the PC
- Install ADB and Fastboot on your computer: to be able to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader you need to install ADB and Fastboot on your computer so you can run the commands to unlock the phone’s Bootloader. Once the software has been downloaded to your PC, you can proceed to the next step
- Open a command window on the Platform-Tools folder: to be able to proceed with unlocking the Bootloader, you need to open a command window in the Platform-Tools folder that you previously downloaded with ADB and Fastboot. For this step, it is essential to open the command window in the correct directory, so that the smartphone can interact without problems with the PC via ADB and Fastboot
- Connect the Google Pixel 3a to the computer: take the USB cable (make sure it is in perfect working condition) and connect the smartphone to the PC
- Unlocking the Bootloader: we have finally reached the stage necessary to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader. I remind you that this will restore the device to factory status, erasing all data, contacts, photos, videos, apps, settings, etc., bringing the phone back to how it was turned on for the first time. Before proceeding, make sure you have backed up all your essential data on your computer, or you will lose them forever. In order to unlock the Bootloader on the Google Pixel 3a, it is necessary to make sure that you have opened the command window on the Platform-Tools folder. From this command window, you will have to type the command with the PC keyboard fastboot flashing unlock followed by the Enter key to proceed with unlocking the Bootloader on the Google Pixel 3a. Once the command has been entered, a message should appear on the smartphone with the request if you are really sure and if you want to proceed with unlocking the Bootloader. Use the volume key to highlight the “YES” option, then to proceed with the selection, press the power button
At this point, the process to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader will start, and the device will be restored to factory status, so everything should end with a reboot of the phone. If the smartphone does not automatically restart at the end of the procedure, navigate with the Volume keys in the Fastboot menu and highlight the Start option, then press the phone power button to confirm the choice. Once the reboot process is over, you will find yourself with the phone reported to how it was turned on the first time, a sign that you managed to unlock the Bootloader on the Google Pixel 3a. From now on, when you start the phone, you will be shown a message saying that the Bootloader is unlocked that the integrity of the software is not guaranteed. This message appears as a normal warning as the Bootloader has been unlocked, but it will not cause you any problems with the operation of the smartphone.
Unlocking the Bootloader, you will have to configure the phone from scratch, resetting it as you did the first time you turned it on. You can proceed to restore the backup performed before unlocking the Bootloader and load your applications, photos, videos, etc. again. of which you had backed up. Managed to unlock Google Pixel 3a Bootloader you can install a Custom Recovery like TWRP or get the Root permissions, install Custom ROM and give yourself to modding without limits on the device.
