[HOW TO] Unlock Essential Phone Bootloader

[@ricky240z]

Thanks, Chris us Essential Phone owners appreciate your efforts ...

[@ChrisPanton]

+Richard Blanton thank you :)

[@rezvee.parvez]

Bro my bootloader is unlocked but now fastboot isnt working please help me out. it even does not recognized the device

[@saved500]

Thank you it worked. I had difficulty getting the device detected by adb but it worked after I installed the windows driver from essential.

[@lzzmaeagle]

Hi there, when I typed in fastboot flashing unlock, it just says , can you please help me? Thank you

[@plumbeach92]

Really great video! Any issues encountered, were fixed by updating Essential drivers. Will be subscribing

[@ChrisPanton]

Appreciate it! Glad I could help

[@СашаЛорви]

Thank you for your information about problems with recognize and spesial commands for this.

[@zole2112b]

Thanks man, worked perfectly for me. Very clear instructions!

[@jakegwolford]

Thank you! I can confirm this still works with the newest version of Nougat (as of Dec 23).

[@xRadio2006x]

Awesome bro...worked exactly as your video stated. Thanks a million!

[@ChrisPanton]

Happy to hear it :)

[@skilvin]

hey can you make a tutorial on how to revert back from Q to Pie plesasseeee

[@jalegacyone]

good question and exactly whatI was looking for. Q really really bugs me. I have to be place my device on airplane mode do that the wifi will work and it over heats on Q. Not to mention no GSM service. Bought the phone for very cheap so im hoping its Q and no a sim lock.

[@Syn_X1e]

@@jalegacyone it's q from what I saw on it I'm not updating to q until Google fixes it on p it's good

[@MichiamoKamil]

do you have a link for WIN drivers for PH-1?

[@ohneheft8578]

Hi Chris, my phone was locked after the last updated by Sprint 2 weeks ago. Can we unnlock it back?

[@ChrisPanton]

Bootloader locked you mean? If so. Yes

[@mohamedmaher6907]

Hi I want to ask you from where u was able to get the pixel 2xl live background and which luncher u are using

[@mohamedmaher6907]

Thanks in advance

[@gleydsonresende6580]

Ola Chris ,estou com um problema serio no meu essential phone ph1 ele bloqueo na logo e inicialização apos uma atualização poderia me ajudar a voltar a versao dele ou colocar outra para poder usar o aparelho estou preocupado por favor me ajude

[@trojohn39532]

Hey Chris, Ive tried this several times with no success. Every time that I Type in adb reboot bootloader it just reboots the phone it doesn’t actually boot into bootloader any ideas? Also I’m on the Oreo Beta on a Sprint version if that helps.

[@luismasuarezzz]

Hello, cool video, do you have any programmer file or QFIL image for the Essential Phone Ph1?

[@ChrisPanton]

No, sorry

[@irfanabdullah2378]

My one is sprint. It does not shows up in fastboot devices. What will I do?

[@ChrisPanton]

Enable usb debugging, turn on oem unlock. Install usb drivers. Try another usb cable and port on your computer. It’s recommended to use a usb 2.0 port

[@yjaja2003]

thanks for this. im waiting for my essential phone to come in. grabbed it from amazon prime day =) and i cant wait to unlock bootloader and install twrp

[@ChrisPanton]

Hell of a deal that was! Welcome to the channel, and hope my essential video's are helpful to you. Any questions, let me know :)

[@ltkagura6486]

you get it for how much?

[@magnus2230]

I keep getting "Failed (Remote: unknown command) when trying to unlock. the device does show in fastboot devices. my variant is sprint, is that the problem? This was supposed to be an unlocked phone purchased on amazon. Thanks.

[@magnus2230]

Solved....Run minimal ADB and Fastboot as administrator.

[@tabonuco]

thanks, just what i needed

[@ChrisPanton]

Glad it was helfpul

[@bekachokheli5645]

hi can i unlock sprint essential to work on gsm carrier?

[@melissaprice8031]

this will not work for me it will not bring up connected devices and i have a drivers downloaded and installed onto my computer what am i doing wrong here

[@sunburntalbino8889]

Does this work for other phones or does it only work for the essential phone?

[@ChrisPanton]

Different devices have various ways to unlock the BL. Example: pixel, xiaomi, htc, Huawei, etc

[@eduardovillegas902]

The Essential ph-1 Sprint comes unlock from factory?

[@ChrisPanton]

You'd have to pay off the device for it to be carrier unlocked.

[@djstylistictv]

Will this also work if I wanted to switch carriers from Sprint?

[@ChrisPanton]

Unlocking the bootloader won't affect the carrier you're with

[@Qt33zy]

How do you get the pixel live wallpaper?

[@justinmaese666]

What if the phone is not being recognized while in fastboot before being unlocked ? Around 2:22 in your video.

[@ChrisPanton]

justin maese did you try the command in the description which includes the device id?

[@justinmaese666]

I did, just to clarify, it is -i 0x2e17?

[@ChrisPanton]

+justin maese yah. Drivers up to date? Different USB port or cable maybe

[@justinmaese666]

Drivers should be current, which ones did you use ?

[@g4nj4b4by]

..didnt let the boot back up?

[@bmg1001]

Does SafetyNet still pass when the bootloader is unlocked on this device?

[@ChrisPanton]

No it doesnt pass. If you dont plan to root or use roms, really no point in unlocking the bootloader

[@jalegacyone]

after the adb reboot bootloader step none are working even went into the guide and did find some cmd keys were different but till today no luck. Thing is running on android Q could that have anything to with it?....... I did follow all the other steps and im simply trying to go back to android P from Q. Can you help me with this or have any thought or ideas about this?.....

[@ChrisPanton]

Make sure adb/fastboot is up to date.

[@1craigmt]

Tried flashing TWRP without realizing there hasn't been a version released for this phone yet. Now my recovery mode is bricked, but the device still works. Is there a stock rom available for recovery mode to reflash?

[@ChrisPanton]

1craigmt nope. No factory images have been released from Essential yet

[@thecindyjackson]

command fastboot devices shows nothing. I've updated, uninstalled, reinstalled and still nothing. My phone is useless in Beta Q. What should I do next?

[@plumbeach92]

I did this to my sister's Essential and installed Lineage OS 16 last week. I had to roll back to the very first Oreo release for the Essential for me to be able to unlock bootloader, install TWRP, And install Lineage with Gapps. I'm doing mine tomorrow too. Q Beta hasn't been good to me

[@bamzilla.]

What happens when you've rebooted into the bootloader, but the device is no longer detected? This is happening to me.

[@ChrisPanton]

Ensure drivers, adb/fastboot are up to date.

[@irfanabdullah2378]

After rebooting it to fastboot mode, my device doesnt show up in the command prompt. Can u pls help me?

[@ChrisPanton]

Try a USB 2.0 port or different cable

[@HairExperience]

Hey, anyway to relock the bootloader, I know it sounds crazy but I need to return one. Thanks

[@ChrisPanton]

fastboot flashing lock

[@HairExperience]

Got it , thank you !

[@freshbakedbread]

I'm currently on Oreo Beta. Do I need to go back to Nougat before I begin this and then get Lineage OS? Thanks!

[@ChrisPanton]

Nope

[@freshbakedbread]

Awesome, thank you so much! I'll flash it tomorrow and I'll let ya know how it goes :)

[@ELf-xs4bf]

Bought one from 3rd party and its locked to Sprint. Anytime I insert a non Sprint sim it says invalid sim. Any suggestions!. Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[@ChrisPanton]

El Padrino probably sim locked or tied to a Canadian carrier. Sorry

[@ELf-xs4bf]

Chris Panton thanks for your reply

[@omarlorenzocordero15]

Hey i have a sim locked essential phone from sprint, can you hel to sim unlock it?

[@ChrisPanton]

You'd have to get Sprint to

[@67comet]

Does anyone know if the OEM Unlock button will be grayed out by Verizon like it is on an unlocked Pixel if you put the Verizon SIM in, it disabled the OEM Unlock option on my Pixel (Unless you do it before putting the SIM in. I didn't know this, purchased my Pixel from Google, took it to Verizon because Sprint couldn't get it to work, they put the SIM in, and bam, I'm stuck). My Essential will be here tomorrow, I'll be Unlocking it ASAP (I love my Pixel, but want to play with ROMS, hopefully the Essential will get some ROM love now that the price has dropped to a respectable level).Good vid, thank you.

[@lazerus06]

I cant seem to get the phone to be recognized in fastboot mode, tried multiple cables, ports and the fastboot devices -i 0x2e17 command

[@ChrisPanton]

Ensure drivers are up to date and you have updated fastboot/adb installed

[@lazerus06]

Chris Panton thanks. I installed the latest adb drivers and still no luck

[@Calaard]

Will this method also work on my Samsung phone

[@ChrisPanton]

No

[@upbeet4410]

so since the essential website doesnt work anymore root isnt possible for this phone in 2021 is it

[@ChrisPanton]

It surely is still possible! Check xda for files or info if needed.

[@amnoushk7943]

Hello, after i whrote "adb reboot bootloader" it tells me error device not found, I update the drivers

[@ChrisPanton]

Update your ADB/Fastboot. You may want to try another USB cable and another USB port

[@malibération]

Unfortunately, it does not work for me. I get as far as the "fastboot flashing unlock," but the command only creates the following response "< waiting for any device>" and will not let you do anything from there :/

[@ChrisPanton]

Update your adb/fastboot interface and ensure drivers are up to date

[@malibération]

I updated some Windows Drivers. No progress. I'm not sure how to update my adb/fastboot interface or even check if I need to. PS. I am doing this on Windows 10 (not 7, if that matters)

[@ChrisPanton]

Did you download the essential drivers from Essentials website?

[@malibération]

Oh! Just did. Worked smoothly. Thank you!

[@ChrisPanton]

Awesome! Glad to hear it worked

[@amvperson1379]

Hey thanks for the video, I was just wondering if you could help me with something. When I put in the fastboot devices -i 0x2e17 command, my device is listed. However when I type in fastboot -i 0x2e17 flashing unlock, the cmd returns a list of commands allowed in fastboot and my bootloader doesn't unlock. Any solution? Thanks

[@ChrisPanton]

+Chris Geere tried just 'fastboot flashing unlock' without the id? Maybe mistyped the cmd

[@amvperson1379]

Thanks for the quick reply! When I type the command without the id, it shows

[@amvperson1379]

I got my computer to recognize the phone in fastboot by downloading this: developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools.html I hope this helps anyone who had the same problem as me.

[@thecindyjackson]

@@amvperson1379 None of these even open.

[@amvperson1379]

@@thecindyjackson I just checked the link and it worked for me.

[@xoltice]

Hey there, I tried the vendor code and even copy and pasted the lines into the cmd and it is still not detecting my phone. My PH-1 is from Canada's Telus, will there be a difference in vendor code?

[@ChrisPanton]

was your phone recognized in ADB? i only couldnt get fastboot commands to work after i unlocked the bootloader vendor code will be the same

[@xoltice]

it was recognized before the reboot, but after it reboots into the fastboot menu, ADB no longer picks up the phone even after using the vendor codes.

[@ChrisPanton]

when in fastboot you cant use ADB. you need to use the command fastboot

[@xoltice]

I've tried 'fastboot devices -i 0x2e17' without the quotes with no luck. The cmd doesn't spit out a recognized device line.

[@ChrisPanton]

Hmm... not 100%. I figured out about the vendor ID myself. there is a slight chance yours could be different since yours is with Telus? Mine is directly from essential.

[@martinezfamilyhomestead]

How do you unlock this phone for any carrier if its sprint??

[@ChrisPanton]

Martin Martinez contact Sprint.

[@neuronastecnologicas4120]

Nice video. What's your launcher? It's look like Oreo.

[@ChrisPanton]

+Neuronas Tecnológicas the modified pixel 2 launcher

[@mannylabrusky926]

This method is also to do sim unlock ?

[@ChrisPanton]

carrier unlocking doesnt equal bootloader unlocking. Totally different things

[@mannylabrusky926]

is not possible to unlock carrier?

[@ChrisPanton]

if you bought it via sprint, youll have to talk to them about unlocking it. If you bought from amazon, essential of best buy the unlocked model its already carrier unlocked.

[@raoultayo8952]

Hi Chris, I tried but it doesn't work! Here is what it says: PS C:\Users\pc\Desktop> adb devices List of devices attached PS C:\Users\pc\Desktop> adb devices List of devices attached PS C:\Users\pc\Desktop> Thank you!

[@ChrisPanton]

Update the essential drivers, ensure you have the latest adb/fastboot. Turn on adb debugging and give permission for your computer to interact with the device

[@raoultayo8952]

Chris Panton I'll try it as soon I get home. thank you!

[@BaamAlex]

But where do i get the unlock files? I have minimal adb and fastboot already installed. And i think this isn't enough...

[@ChrisPanton]

Don't need any other files to unlock the bootloader

[@BaamAlex]

only these from minimal adb and fastboot?

[@ChrisPanton]

@@BaamAlex just run the commands to unlock the bootloader when in fastboot

[@BaamAlex]

ok thanks. and a last question...can i update to pie with an unlocked bootloader?

[@ChrisPanton]

@@BaamAlex yup

[@Extranet1987]

and how to bypass frp???

[@ChrisPanton]

Can't, that's the whole point of it

[@Extranet1987]

i need driver. where to download

[@anthonypyrtle5018]

Anyone know anything about my device not being recognized in fastboot mode? Adb is fine but can't detect it in fastboot mode so I can unlock my boot loader. Have tried everything even fast boot devices -I 0x2e17 and then fastboot flashing unlock -I 0x2e17 and it just says waiting for device.

[@ChrisPanton]

Anthony Pyrtle try a different fastboot.. update usb/fastboot drivers maybe

[@anthonypyrtle5018]

Chris Panton what did you use to install your adb/fast boot?

[@joerellm]

What’s the point in unlocking the boot loader ?

[@ChrisPanton]

+SUGE WOLF I say it in the video. If you have to ask, it's probably not important to you.

[@ledzeppelin4892000]

lets you root your phone

[@ELf-xs4bf]

Can you unlock sim also

[@ChrisPanton]

the phone is already carrier unlocked

[@Sir_Leany]

It doesn't work ! it say C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fasboot devices 'fasboot' n’est pas reconnu en tant que commande interne ou externe, un programme exécutable ou un fichier de commandes. C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot devices -i 0x2e17 C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>fastboot -i 0x2e17 flashing unlock < waiting for any device > and nothing appened after.................

[@ChrisPanton]

Make sure you have updated your drivers. Try another USB cable

[@Sir_Leany]

ho ! yeah you are right

[@TheodoreGoldson]

So has there been a root method for the ph1 yet?

[@ChrisPanton]

Theodore Goldson nope

[@TheodoreGoldson]

Chris Panton thanks.

[@ChrisPanton]

Michael Ketigian there's no root at all, yet. Yes bootloader unlocking is needed before regardless

[@aydenleppert]

yes, check Chris canton's channel...

[@aydenleppert]

is there any way to do this without loosing any data?

[@ChrisPanton]

ASL Studios nope. Unlocking the bootloader of any phone will wipe the device

[@aydenleppert]

can I somehow back up the phone, and then restore it after the boot loader is unlocked?

[@AbdullmjeedAlAdel]

Thanks, Chris!

[@billfowler8627]

Do you still have this phone?

[@ChrisPanton]

Bill Fowler yes

[@farahaliah7112]

Can you unlock bootloader huawei nova 2 lite please???? 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@pabiizvillarreal3772]

still works in android 10, wow, now mi essential will be have android 11

[@ronny123plays3]

hello Sprint Essential say if you can unlock

[@ChrisPanton]

Check if the oem unlock is available to toggle on. If so. Yes.

[@techvidz4451]

Hey, does doing this void my warranty for my essential phone?

[@ChrisPanton]

I mean, modifying software on your device that causes an issue with your phone can void your warranty. But That shouldnt happen. You'll be able to recover the device if bricked. Your warranty should be fine, but Essential's support may think differently.

[@dionisiobsilva]

deu super certo e eu não entendo nada de inglês parabens

[@Memestew596]

Can you root the essential phone

[@ChrisPanton]

+Ghost nation already made a video about it.

[@Dvssonance]

how would you do this if you are using a mac?

[@Extranet1987]

hello i need driver. where to download??? plz

[@hessianbeard]

www.essential.com/developer/current-builds towards the bottom of the page is a link for the driver downloads titled "Windows Drivers for Essential Phone."

[@zerohexer5900]

That is black shark bootloader.

[@ChrisPanton]

No

[@zerohexer5900]

they used the same bootloader. i.imgur.com/tRgWSpi.jpg

[@jusdef07]

Thanks Chris P