Factory Reset...setup stuck on Find My Devices - Xperia Z4/Z3+ Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I have an old Z4V I'd like to use wifi only. I did a factory reset and now I get stuck at the google Find My Devices screen. i have wifi.. can get into various google apps through the menu, but cant use any drop down menus nor any phone settings at all.
Any ideas?
Rick

...trade me for a Tango development tablet or a comparable and working phone(?). You need to get to a subsetting menu directly or to a search field that can lead you to the settings where you can both turn on debugging & unlock the bootloader so you don't brick it and create/delete user accounts. Never factory reset without deleting the active account first. You've tripped something that can't be fixed without replacing the previous login with nothing by luck and interface loopholes or a service image and means to apply it, for which you have neither, and since you've also compromised the checksum of the system partition but have no persistent root/debugging pre-boot interface or recovery, if you bork the (you're too lucky) dalvik cache, you will have the most obscure and useless brick I know of. try to trigger accessibility options through the keyboard if you can get it to appear or by pressing keys like the touch doesn't work...that or go to the Google legal crap and click any hotlink that you might come across and hope it gets you somewhere that searches if you can't get to any subsetting that leaves settings in the recents tasker... there's a few more possibilities, but honestly, if you aren't wanting to use it as a CDMA capable phone, sell or trade it to me for something infinitely less inconvient to use at all and so likely to become irreparably borked by attempting to anyways
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:39 PM ----------
...seriously though; don't do anything silly like resetting it again without being certain FRP is unflagged by all user data being gone before the reset. If it reboots and checks it's own integrity the fuse may trip and lock out any and all means of it booting at all ever again, it won't even try to load and there will be no means to restore a working recovery or bootloader to get it to where more than the backlight and maybe a single character come on the screen or it just says an error and doesn't even try to do anything else no matter how you turn it on

I've recently reset my phone 2 weeks ago, I was on the same condition as you but only difference is my phone is locked out and the screen keeps blinking/flashing. What I did was I switched to a guest acc on my device and login google etc there and disable FMD and My Xperia at device admistration in the phone settings. After that, I try switching back to the default account which I was locked out then reboot my phone and try to login again and it works.
Hope this helps.

Related

[Q] Pattern lock -> Too many tries

I was playing around with the pattern lock and eventually got the 'Too many pattern attempts!' message, with it asking for my Google username and password to log in.
No matter what, it doesn't accept my username/password. I am 100% sure I've typed it in correctly.
This bug has been around for over a year with many people reporting 'bricked' phones without even doing anything particularly naughty with their phones.
This is the Google bug that has been posted on it: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3006#makechanges
As you can see this has been around for over a year. The 'null'-in-password trick doesn't work, nor does the spamming-home-button trick.
My phone is rooted and with the Voodoo Lagfix-only custom kernel. Any suggestions?
Do a hard reset / wipe. That's my suggestion.
Try booting into recovery (Home Button, Vol Up + Power), and resetting your cache and wiping it. Then try logging in with your Google account. If all else fails, try changing your Google password on the PC then logging in on the phone. And then if it still fails, looks like you need to flash the phone again. Next time, don't enter the thing wrong! Stop rushing haha .
I wasn't rushing, I was playing with the lock. It takes about 30 times before it's permanently requiring the username/password. But really...you can't blame me for not expecting this. :/
I'm currently trying to flash a new ROM but I've run into another problem - I can't get it to boot into downloader/recovery. It's not the lack of the 3 button combo - I've managed to reach Recovery and Downloader ONCE each in the past, but never again since.
And now with all my efforts to boot into recovery/downloader, it now cannot boot into normal usability mode (or in my case, locked mode). Instead, the Galaxy S logo loops endlessly.
Sigh.
Have you read the thread for the fix for Galaxy S variants that are lacking the 3 Button Combos? It's in Android Development. Maybe try that? Or, can you still connect the phone and connect with Kies?
I can't turn on the phone anymore, meaning no changing to USB debugging etc. And I'm having problem accessing recovery/download, even though I definitely HAVE done each of them once before and therefore do not have the 3 button problem.
Without turning on my phone, Kies can't detect it
So what happens when you power on?
Now, it shows the first Galaxy S splash screen, then shows the boot logo, then nothing. The boot logo continues to glow endlessly.
Be patient, i waited up to five minutes. If you see the s logo glowing/shining youare ok
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
okpc said:
Be patient, i waited up to five minutes. If you see the s logo glowing/shining youare ok
Sent from my GT-I9000 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's continuously shining. Haven't left it for up to five minutes though... And even then it probably won't help since I'm still locked out of the phone, and unable to access download/recovery mode to reflash it.
After waiting for a long time, the logo disappears, screen goes black. Menu and back buttons light up. Nothing else.
Looks like your going to have to reflash your phone again. Download the desired firmware, open up Odin and put your phone into download mode and start the flashing procedure. Be more careful next time.
PaulForde said:
Looks like your going to have to reflash your phone again. Download the desired firmware, open up Odin and put your phone into download mode and start the flashing procedure. Be more careful next time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good advice considering he said his 3 button combo stopped working =))
All I did when I got that black screen was adb reboot recovery and wiped and phone bootedup fine. But only if you have debuging enable and and sumsung drivers. Hopes this help.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
Can't enable USB debugging when phone can't be turned on at all.
danamoult said:
I was playing around with the pattern lock and eventually got the 'Too many pattern attempts!' message, with it asking for my Google username and password to log in.
No matter what, it doesn't accept my username/password. I am 100% sure I've typed it in correctly.
This bug has been around for over a year with many people reporting 'bricked' phones without even doing anything particularly naughty with their phones.
As you can see this has been around for over a year. The 'null'-in-password trick doesn't work, nor does the spamming-home-button trick.
My phone is rooted and with the Voodoo Lagfix-only custom kernel. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok i did the same thing, and spent hours googling.
Tried the key combinations to restore, but never worked.
Heres what worked for me, but, be warned all your contacts will be lost if stored on the phone.
From another phone, call your locked number.
Answer it on the locked phone, then hit the "back" button.
This gives you full access to the phones menus etc.
Hang up on the phone you called from.
Now, go into Applications / Settings / Privacy / Factory Data Reset.
This worked for me whereas all other methods did not.
Once your phone is up and running again, be sure to create your google account on your phone.
That way your protected again. If you didnt previously have the account set up from your phone, like i didnt, then you cannot log in of course.
This works...give it a try. Hope it helps.
danamoult said:
Can't enable USB debugging when phone can't be turned on at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you need to be able to enter recovery mode for you to solve this problem
danamoult said:
I was playing around with the pattern lock and eventually got the 'Too many pattern attempts!' message, with it asking for my Google username and password to log in.
No matter what, it doesn't accept my username/password. I am 100% sure I've typed it in correctly.
This bug has been around for over a year with many people reporting 'bricked' phones without even doing anything particularly naughty with their phones.
This is the Google bug that has been posted on it: http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=3006#makechanges
As you can see this has been around for over a year. The 'null'-in-password trick doesn't work, nor does the spamming-home-button trick.
My phone is rooted and with the Voodoo Lagfix-only custom kernel. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
dear friend dont worry or panic... i'll tell you a trick , go to the samsung customer care and tell them that your phone gets heated up very often and today it just refuses to boot up normally...
since your device cannot get into recovery mode or download mode the company will never know that you had played with the system files in the device or not... (rooted )..
since the samsung people will also try to get your device in recovery mode.. but when it will not go to the recovery mode you will get a mother board replacement under warranty.....
this heating up of the device is a common problem in the galaxy here in india.. so use this excuse and i know it works 100% ... (just dont tell them that you had rooted and lagfixed your device )
What you describe sounds like a very large security hole if I am reading it correctly.
Are you saying that even if your phone has been locked out from too many lock screen failures, that just answering an incoming phone call gives you full access to the phone? Really?
I just checked on my phone and while I can answer an incoming call while the screen is locked, if I hit the back button or menu button, I just get the lock screen.
I'm missing something here...
OzzYGuY said:
Ok i did the same thing, and spent hours googling.
Tried the key combinations to restore, but never worked.
Heres what worked for me, but, be warned all your contacts will be lost if stored on the phone.
From another phone, call your locked number.
Answer it on the locked phone, then hit the "back" button.
This gives you full access to the phones menus etc.
Hang up on the phone you called from.
Now, go into Applications / Settings / Privacy / Factory Data Reset.
This worked for me whereas all other methods did not.
Once your phone is up and running again, be sure to create your google account on your phone.
That way your protected again. If you didnt previously have the account set up from your phone, like i didnt, then you cannot log in of course.
This works...give it a try. Hope it helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
distortedloop said:
What you describe sounds like a very large security hole if I am reading it correctly.
Are you saying that even if your phone has been locked out from too many lock screen failures, that just answering an incoming phone call gives you full access to the phone? Really?
I just checked on my phone and while I can answer an incoming call while the screen is locked, if I hit the back button or menu button, I just get the lock screen.
I'm missing something here...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
chill my dear friend.... it cant be true.... its just his 1st post.. and samsung cannot be so dumb to leave a password protected keypad that can be cracked so easily.. even i tried the back key on a call with a password lock.. i cannot get passed the lock screen....

[Q] Strange quirks after rooting

My warranty expired, so I figured why not root... but it's turned out to be quite the ordeal to get things back in working order.
I unlocked my bootloader, flashed amon ra's recovery, and then tried to flash a pre-rooted gingerbread rom from another sub-forum. I got stuck on the "X" after a reboot, and couldn't get past that after several attempts, so I tried flashing CyanogenMod 7.0.3. That worked, but it really wasn't what I wanted.
A little frustrated, I used the passimg.zip method from the wiki to go back to froyo and let it update back to gingerbread. But the gingerbread update kept failing immediately upon trying to download it. I told it to factory reset and format my sd card, which seemed to fix it enough to download and update successfully.
But now I can't seem to add contacts to my phone. It says the contact is saved, but it doesn't get added to the list. If I dial manually, the name I saved shows up like normal during the call, but is still not displayed in the contact list. I tried loading contacts from my SIM card, but same thing, says they are saved, but nothing is displayed in the list. I looked for settings that may hide them, but couldn't find anything.
I've tried several factory resets now, and reflashing amon ra to preform wipes, but it's the same every time. I can add contacts immediately after a reset's first boot and have them display normally, but if I let the screen timeout, new ones fail to display when added afterwards. Rebooting seems to have no effect.
I feel like I'm missing something simple here, but I can't for the life of me figure out what. It worked fine prior to me mucking with it.
Any ideas on what I can do to solve this?
Accounts and settings. Sync contacts.
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk
I really didn't want to do that, but for some reason it worked.
It added my phone contacts that already displayed normally to "my contacts" in my Gmail account, the ones I added later that refused to display on the phone were added to "other contacts".
Since the sync, I can now add numbers to my phone and they display normally... but why did it do this in the first place? I assume it was something I did when setting my phone back up the way I like it, but what?
I really want to avoid doing it again in the future, it's an annoying step go back into gmail and delete my phone book from it when my N1 borks up like this.

Google sign in issue [SOLVED]

Hey guys, I am having an issue with my 6. Around a week ago my phone randomly rebooted and when it started up, I noticed the Account Action Required (2 of them for both my emails) notification just sitting on my status bar. I've clicked and tried to login. After clicking on, "I agree" the checking info screen pops up then it returns to the home screen but still not logged in. If I try through the settings, it would do the same but return to the accounts menu. All my contacts disappeared and what not. I removed both accounts and tried again. Same problem. It's been a week and have not been able to find a solution despite searching for hours on forums. I don't want to factory reset since I've read worse stories about sign in issues at setup. My second multiuser account works fine with the email address sign in and sync but not my main. I'm out of options and stuck without any of Google's services. I'd appreciate any help. I'm on PureNexus w/ ElementalX​ rooted with MagisK if that helps. I've been running all this for half a year without problems.
frank0897 said:
Hey guys, I am having an issue with my 6. Around a week ago my phone randomly rebooted and when it started up, I noticed the Account Action Required (2 of them for both my emails) notification just sitting on my status bar. I've clicked and tried to login. After clicking on, "I agree" the checking info screen pops up then it returns to the home screen but still not logged in. If I try through the settings, it would do the same but return to the accounts menu. All my contacts disappeared and what not. I removed both accounts and tried again. Same problem. It's been a week and have not been able to find a solution despite searching for hours on forums. I don't want to factory reset since I've read worse stories about sign in issues at setup. My second multiuser account works fine with the email address sign in and sync but not my main. I'm out of options and stuck without any of Google's services. I'd appreciate any help. I'm on PureNexus w/ ElementalX​ rooted with MagisK if that helps. I've been running all this for half a year without problems.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had this problem also last week (with Vanilla). There was no other option than wiping the device
---------- Post added at 11:59 ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 ----------
EDIT: about the " I don't want to factory reset since I've read worse stories about sign in issues at setup."
keep "OEM unlocking" in 'Developer Options' enabled at all times!!!! ENabling this also disables some security features (like the 72 hours lock out).
same happened to me, tried everything I could think of, uninstalled layers mods etc, nothing would work , had to wipe data and do a clean install
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
I guess I have no other option than to give the factory reset a try. I'll do it l when I get home and report back .
Droidphilev said:
I had this problem also last week (with Vanilla). There was no other option than wiping the device
---------- Post added at 11:59 ---------- Previous post was at 11:57 ----------
EDIT: about the " I don't want to factory reset since I've read worse stories about sign in issues at setup."
keep "OEM unlocking" in 'Developer Options' enabled at all times!!!! ENabling this also disables some security features (like the 72 hours lock out).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sgloki77 said:
same happened to me, tried everything I could think of, uninstalled layers mods etc, nothing would work , had to wipe data and do a clean install
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory resetting did the trick. Appreciate it guys!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Help rooting/enabling adb on bootloader & google locked Marshmallow

I bought a Moto X (2014) with a broken/damaged screen for super cheap. When I bought it, it vibrated and made sounds so I knew it was functional. The next day, the alarm woke me up so I turned it off. The day after it happened again, so I just let it ring under a pillow until the phone died. Yesterday, the screen replacement finally arrived and I performed the switch myself.
When I tested the screen before closing it back up, the phone wouldn't boot, but the screen itself appeared to be functional so I closed it back up. The infamous green light issue was occurring, no doubt due to the fact that I let the battery drain completely then left it in a drawer for about a month, in addition to God knows what the previous owner had done to it.
After several hours of hooking it up to various chargers and cables and computers and performing a seemingly infinite number and duration of button combinations, it finally booted up, and started to charge normally.
Only then I realized it was still protected by the pattern code from the previous owner. Due to fear of FRP, I kept trying to crack the pattern code to no avail. Eventually I said frick it and went into bootloader mode to try and unlock the bootloader, but it turns out that adb is not enabled, and neither is the "allow bootloader unlock". So I said frick it and hit factory to reset the phone, but the phone simply rebooted. Odd. Alright, so I hooked it up to a computer in bootloader mode and performed fastboot erase userdata. Upon reboot, FRP had kicked in.
Hours of searching yielded various methods of bypassing this, none of which worked. However due to the blessing/curse (more on that later) that it's on Marshmallow, I was able to use a Google Assistant loophole to access pretty much the entire device (minus Google apps, including the play store). This included the settings app. To my dismay, I'm unable to activate dev options and the reset button is greyed out, no doubt due to a group policy preventing these functions until the owner's Google account is entered.
I came across a method that showed a lot of promise. Through the use of an app called Quick Shortcut Manager, it allows you to log into any Google account and once you reboot afterwards, FRP is no longer an issue. However in my case, since I seem to be exceptionally lucky, during the sign in process, the phone reboots unexpectedly. How very odd. Retried several times under various conditions, including Force Stopping all Google apps (which returns the navbar buttons, without function, and also the notification tray but not quick settings).
Alright. I installed Telegram via apk and logged in. As soon as I logged in, the phone reboots unexpectedly again, which leads me to believe that this random reboot occurs whenever ANY account is added to the device (because Telegram accounts are saved under Settings > Accounts).
Knowing I'm stuck with a locked bootloader and no way of unlocking it without accessing dev options which I'm unable to do, I decided to try flashing an earlier build. I downloaded 4.4.4 and 5.0.1 factory images and proceeded to try flashing 4.4.4, to no avail, since apparently downgrading is also impossible with a locked bootloader. Most commands returned a "remote failure" response. I continued anyway and upon reboot I discover that nothing has changed. I've tried this with both system images.
I tried RSD Lite as well but it won't even detect the phone in fastboot/bootloader mode (on Windows 10 Insider Preview). Tried with admin privileges. The "fastboot flash" option in the Config menu was greyed out for some reason.
I've hit a roadblock. I'm so ready to just toss this phone out the window but I decided to come here and ask for help first. Please, XDA. Do not fail me.
P.S. I've lost contact with the owner because I bought the phone on a local equivalent of Craigslist so neither the ad nor my communication with him still exists. And even if by some miracle I managed to find one, it would do me no favors if he would remove the account via Google Device Manager because I've already reset it. The only thing he can do for me is log into the phone using his email and password and then reset it, which would require going somewhere with WiFi that is also public all the while making sure he doesn't try to steal the phone back now that it's fixed.
Edit 2: Ever since I added the Telegram account, the phone is no longer usable, since it reboots unexpectedly as soon as it connects to WiFi and discovers that an account has been added to the device. I'm going to reset it again so I can continue using it with these limitations.
I remember once on a Samsung device I found a pre-rooted IMAGE file and flashed it via fastboot and that fixed everything. I can't seem to find anything of the sort for this phone though.
I've found instructions on how to convert a ZIP ROM into a system image, but those instructions are only for Linux.

New Pixel comes with Bootloader unlocked and it's unable to lock

Hi everyone,
I just bought a Google Pixel 5 with Android 11 that was declared "new" and when I got it, from the first time powering it on, I got the security alert that the bootloader is unlocked, see photo attached. For several personal reasons I cannot easily send it back, so I tried to understand what this means but I am no developer. I tried an entire day to install ADB, put the phone in developer mode and download the firmware image from the official source, I got to the point where the ADB devices command showed the phone as connected but then nothing else worked. In every video or guide online, the steps varied from what I had in front of me, or did not yield the same results, or how the files looked was different (I downloaded the same firmware version that is installed on the phone from the official Google page but never had an image file, just various other very non-descript files in it). As I am pretty clueless, I tried googling my way around the error codes I got but everything I tried didn't work. I either got more error codes, answers like the ADB server is already killed, or that flashing command that just returned something like "waiting for available device" and got stuck on it, or nothing happened at all. Then I figured out that the option in the developer menu "Allow OEM unlocking" is greyed out and I read then that there are phones where you simply cannot lock or unlock the bootloader. However, all online guides I see are from people who have a locked bootloader and want to unlock it, and in my case it's exactly the other way around, it came unlocked and I want to lock it. I also tried a normal reset of the phone from the settings menu, deleting all data, and it didn't work. When I got into fastboot mode, I only could choose between Recovery Mode, Rescue Mode and Restart Bootloader, I tried all of them and none worked, and often the last thing that happened was that the screen turned into a small Android with an open chest, and a line "No command" and the only way to get the phone out of this was by pressing the power button for more than 10 seconds. Every time it restarts, the bootloader unlocked safety advice is showing.
After reading all day long about this, I suspect that the phone was probably refurbished. I wondered whether they maybe accidentally forgot to lock it or whether it was intentional, and in case it was intentional, if there is any way someone would have digital access to the phone. I want to understand if it would be possible for me to keep it without having security issues. I read that the unlocked bootloader is a physical problem, if your phone gets stolen or you physically lose it, someone might hack your PIN easier, or get easier access to your data. However, the PIN code and the standard data encryption also seem to protect my data enough. And tbh, as soon as my phone would be lost or stolen, I would delete all data via Find My Device. So I wondered... if it's impossible for me to lock the bootloader, can I still safely keep the phone and use it, with all standard security apps installed like an anti virus app, Google Play Protect and standard security features like PIN and fingerprint unlock and encryption and be safe, or is there any danger I am not aware of? Or is there any way to enable OEM lock or fix this somehow that I would be able to get done as a non-developer? As mentioned before, sending it back is too difficult at the moment so I am just trying to understand what this bootloader unlocked means for me and if it poses a threat to my security as a normal user? (Watching videos, online banking, emails, sending work-related but not highly data sensitive documents, paying with NFC..)
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any insights to help me understand what this is, if there is any solution to it or if it actually poses no danger if I secure my data another way.
wehramausi said:
Hi everyone,
I just bought a Google Pixel 5 with Android 11 that was declared "new" and when I got it, from the first time powering it on, I got the security alert that the bootloader is unlocked, see photo attached. For several personal reasons I cannot easily send it back, so I tried to understand what this means but I am no developer. I tried an entire day to install ADB, put the phone in developer mode and download the firmware image from the official source, I got to the point where the ADB devices command showed the phone as connected but then nothing else worked. In every video or guide online, the steps varied from what I had in front of me, or did not yield the same results, or how the files looked was different (I downloaded the same firmware version that is installed on the phone from the official Google page but never had an image file, just various other very non-descript files in it). As I am pretty clueless, I tried googling my way around the error codes I got but everything I tried didn't work. I either got more error codes, answers like the ADB server is already killed, or that flashing command that just returned something like "waiting for available device" and got stuck on it, or nothing happened at all. Then I figured out that the option in the developer menu "Allow OEM unlocking" is greyed out and I read then that there are phones where you simply cannot lock or unlock the bootloader. However, all online guides I see are from people who have a locked bootloader and want to unlock it, and in my case it's exactly the other way around, it came unlocked and I want to lock it. I also tried a normal reset of the phone from the settings menu, deleting all data, and it didn't work. When I got into fastboot mode, I only could choose between Recovery Mode, Rescue Mode and Restart Bootloader, I tried all of them and none worked, and often the last thing that happened was that the screen turned into a small Android with an open chest, and a line "No command" and the only way to get the phone out of this was by pressing the power button for more than 10 seconds. Every time it restarts, the bootloader unlocked safety advice is showing.
After reading all day long about this, I suspect that the phone was probably refurbished. I wondered whether they maybe accidentally forgot to lock it or whether it was intentional, and in case it was intentional, if there is any way someone would have digital access to the phone. I want to understand if it would be possible for me to keep it without having security issues. I read that the unlocked bootloader is a physical problem, if your phone gets stolen or you physically lose it, someone might hack your PIN easier, or get easier access to your data. However, the PIN code and the standard data encryption also seem to protect my data enough. And tbh, as soon as my phone would be lost or stolen, I would delete all data via Find My Device. So I wondered... if it's impossible for me to lock the bootloader, can I still safely keep the phone and use it, with all standard security apps installed like an anti virus app, Google Play Protect and standard security features like PIN and fingerprint unlock and encryption and be safe, or is there any danger I am not aware of? Or is there any way to enable OEM lock or fix this somehow that I would be able to get done as a non-developer? As mentioned before, sending it back is too difficult at the moment so I am just trying to understand what this bootloader unlocked means for me and if it poses a threat to my security as a normal user? (Watching videos, online banking, emails, sending work-related but not highly data sensitive documents, paying with NFC..)
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any insights to help me understand what this is, if there is any solution to it or if it actually poses no danger if I secure my data another way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When the bootloader is unlocked, "allow oem unlocking" is greyed out.
You use fastboot commands when flashing firmware and locking the bootloader
Code:
fastboot devices
The factory image downloaded from this page includes a script that flashes the device, typically named flash-all.sh (On Windows systems, use flash-all.bat
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Factory Images for Nexus and Pixel Devices | Google Play services | Google for Developers
developers.google.com
Once the script finishes, your device reboots. You should now lock the bootloader for security:
Start the device in fastboot mode again, as described above.
Execute:
fastboot flashing lock
or, for older devices, run:
fastboot oem lock
Locking bootloader will wipe the data on some devices. After locking the bootloader, if you want to flash the device again, you must run fastboot oem unlock again, which will wipe the data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wehramausi said:
Hi everyone,
I just bought a Google Pixel 5 with Android 11 that was declared "new" and when I got it, from the first time powering it on, I got the security alert that the bootloader is unlocked, see photo attached. For several personal reasons I cannot easily send it back, so I tried to understand what this means but I am no developer. I tried an entire day to install ADB, put the phone in developer mode and download the firmware image from the official source, I got to the point where the ADB devices command showed the phone as connected but then nothing else worked. In every video or guide online, the steps varied from what I had in front of me, or did not yield the same results, or how the files looked was different (I downloaded the same firmware version that is installed on the phone from the official Google page but never had an image file, just various other very non-descript files in it). As I am pretty clueless, I tried googling my way around the error codes I got but everything I tried didn't work. I either got more error codes, answers like the ADB server is already killed, or that flashing command that just returned something like "waiting for available device" and got stuck on it, or nothing happened at all. Then I figured out that the option in the developer menu "Allow OEM unlocking" is greyed out and I read then that there are phones where you simply cannot lock or unlock the bootloader. However, all online guides I see are from people who have a locked bootloader and want to unlock it, and in my case it's exactly the other way around, it came unlocked and I want to lock it. I also tried a normal reset of the phone from the settings menu, deleting all data, and it didn't work. When I got into fastboot mode, I only could choose between Recovery Mode, Rescue Mode and Restart Bootloader, I tried all of them and none worked, and often the last thing that happened was that the screen turned into a small Android with an open chest, and a line "No command" and the only way to get the phone out of this was by pressing the power button for more than 10 seconds. Every time it restarts, the bootloader unlocked safety advice is showing.
After reading all day long about this, I suspect that the phone was probably refurbished. I wondered whether they maybe accidentally forgot to lock it or whether it was intentional, and in case it was intentional, if there is any way someone would have digital access to the phone. I want to understand if it would be possible for me to keep it without having security issues. I read that the unlocked bootloader is a physical problem, if your phone gets stolen or you physically lose it, someone might hack your PIN easier, or get easier access to your data. However, the PIN code and the standard data encryption also seem to protect my data enough. And tbh, as soon as my phone would be lost or stolen, I would delete all data via Find My Device. So I wondered... if it's impossible for me to lock the bootloader, can I still safely keep the phone and use it, with all standard security apps installed like an anti virus app, Google Play Protect and standard security features like PIN and fingerprint unlock and encryption and be safe, or is there any danger I am not aware of? Or is there any way to enable OEM lock or fix this somehow that I would be able to get done as a non-developer? As mentioned before, sending it back is too difficult at the moment so I am just trying to understand what this bootloader unlocked means for me and if it poses a threat to my security as a normal user? (Watching videos, online banking, emails, sending work-related but not highly data sensitive documents, paying with NFC..)
Thanks in advance! I really appreciate any insights to help me understand what this is, if there is any solution to it or if it actually poses no danger if I secure my data another way.
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Trade you for a locked 4a 5g...
sipotek said:
Hey Bro can you share a method that how can I root Google Pixel 5, I tried a lot but i can't update the recovery mode? can you share some simple method like with the help of any Apk, or recovery file.
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Lots of threads and guides online that show how to root

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