this post was submitted on 07 Mar 2024
22 points (95.8% liked)

Android

27994 readers
379 users here now

DROID DOES

Welcome to the droidymcdroidface-iest, Lemmyest (Lemmiest), test, bestest, phoniest, pluckiest, snarkiest, and spiciest Android community on Lemmy (Do not respond)! Here you can participate in amazing discussions and events relating to all things Android.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules


1. All posts must be relevant to Android devices/operating system.


2. Posts cannot be illegal or NSFW material.


3. No spam, self promotion, or upvote farming. Sources engaging in these behavior will be added to the Blacklist.


4. Non-whitelisted bots will be banned.


5. Engage respectfully: Harassment, flamebaiting, bad faith engagement, or agenda posting will result in your posts being removed. Excessive violations will result in temporary or permanent ban, depending on severity.


6. Memes are not allowed to be posts, but are allowed in the comments.


7. Posts from clickbait sources are heavily discouraged. Please de-clickbait titles if it needs to be submitted.


8. Submission statements of any length composed of your own thoughts inside the post text field are mandatory for any microblog posts, and are optional but recommended for article/image/video posts.


Community Resources:


We are Android girls*,

In our Lemmy.world.

The back is plastic,

It's fantastic.

*Well, not just girls: people of all gender identities are welcomed here.


Our Partner Communities:

!android@lemmy.ml


founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

I visited 3 stores looking for the pixels 7a. One of these stores (best buy) sells it at a 20% discount for only 2 weeks, brand new, 128 GB, so I may go for it to buy and nuke to install graphene OS, then relock it.

A poster suggested me to avoid verizon, because they lock the bootloader to prevent you installing anything else.

This one seems to be a pixels directly from google: on a table displaying other google devices and earbuds, but I wouldn't want to buy something I cannot relock on non-stock software.

ETA: what port does it use for charging?

top 10 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] wesker@lemmy.sdf.org 12 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

I just picked up a 7a directly from Google, unlocked. That's honestly the only way I recommend going about it, especially if the plan is to install Graphene.

USB-C for charging and data.

[–] jacktherippah@lemmy.world 5 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago)

Just don't get a carrier variant and you'll be fine. You can also check for sure by putting the device's IMEI into https://store.google.com/repair. For example, here's what mine says: Pixel 6 Pro Stormy Black 128GB (Unlocked) (Pristine)

[–] EpicVision@monero.town 5 points 8 months ago

You don't need to worry about whether it's relockable, but it's important that it can be unlocked in the first place. Just don't get it from a carrier and you'll be fine. Buy the phone from some store like Best Buy.

To answer your second question: It uses USB-C.

[–] sponge@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 8 months ago

I got my Pixel 8 Pro from Best Buy and it's unlocked. The other pixels come unlocked too, since they just get them from Google. I've been using Verizon as my carrier without any issue.

[–] algorithmae@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Why do you want to relock it?

[–] mudeth@lemmy.ca 6 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

More secure: any bootloader tampering happening via physical access to the device will trip the warning.

More compatible: some apps (banks usually) flag an unlocked bootloader as a security threat.

[–] algorithmae@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 8 months ago

Thanks for answering!

[–] Shimitar@feddit.it -1 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Do NOT relock a phone unless stock ROM is installed!

The system image signature will be different and you will brick your phone.

This is true for Samsung and Xiaomi, might not be true for Pixels, but I wouldn't risk it.

[–] jacktherippah@lemmy.world 10 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

Bootloader relocking is supported with an alternative OS on a Pixel. GrapheneOS supplies an avb custom key and they expect that you use their OS with a locked bootloader.

[–] Shimitar@feddit.it 1 points 8 months ago

Thanks! Good to know