How to unlock bootloader of Nexus 6P

Unlocking bootloader on the newly launched Nexus 6P opens doors for adding new customisations but the process is a bit different from the other Nexus devices. Therefore, here's a detailed tutorial on how to unlock the bootloader of the Nexus 6P.

Before starting the process to unlock the bootloader, it is worth noting that this could void the official warranty on your Nexus 6P. You need to follow the steps carefully as it could also make the smartphone unresponsive or completely dead. It is highly recommends that you take a backup of your entire data on the Nexus 6P before starting the unlock bootloader process.

IBTimes UK will not be held liable for any damage that occurs during the process.

Steps to unlock the Nexus 6P bootloader:

Step-1: Install the latest version of Android SDK and all the necessary USB drivers from Google's servers.

Step-2: Enable the OEM unlocking option and USB debugging mode from Developer options. You first need to five-tap the build number in the About phone settings to unlock Developer options and then make sure that the options are switched on. Thereafter, toggle both the options.

Step-3: Once you've installed the Android SDK on your computer and enabled the required Developer options, you just need to connect your Nexus 6P with the computer and then allow USB debugging by hitting the OK button on the popup notification.

Step-4: Go to command prompt and executive "adb devices". The command prompt will show the serial number of your Nexus 6P if all the adb and fastboot files are already being installed on the system.

Step-5: Now reboot the bootloader using "adb reboot-bootloader" command.

Step-6: Use fastboot to unlock the bootloader by executing "fastboot devices" command. This will bring the same serial number to the command prompt that was shown at the time of executing the adb command.

Step-7: After enabling fastboot, the Nexus 6P requires any of the following two available commands to make the unlocking bootloader process complete. These new commands have replaced the widely used oem commands.

• fastboot flashing unlock - This new command lets you erase the entire data from your smartphone and restore it back to the original state.
• fastboot flashing unlock_critical - This command provides you a way to flash custom bootloaders on your Nexus 6P.

Step-8: Once you've used one of the new flashing commands, you simply need to reboot your Nexus 6P to check the system restoration. This can be done through executing "fastboot reboot" command and then lock the bootloader by passing "fastboot flashing lock" command from your system.

The Nexus 6P runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with stock interface. Unlocking the bootloader enables you to apply some custom skins on top of Android Marshmallow as well as lets you use some proprietary themes through installing third-party apps.