Over the years, many new OEMs have come up with their unique sustainability statements. One of those OEMs is the Fairphone, a company that has all the bragging rights currently. With its Fairphone 5, the company offers a self easy to repair device, 100% recycled plastic back, up to 8 years of OS updates, and an eco-friendly approach that is for everyone.
Further, the device is also pretty great in terms of specifications, rounding off nicely with a clean stock OS. Another great thing is that it also does great in the custom development scene. However, before you can get your hands on the customization options, you will need to unlock the bootloader first.
If you’re looking to unlock the bootloader on your device, then this guide will be helpful. In this guide, you will get to know how to unlock the bootloader on Fairphone 5.
How to Unlock the Bootloader on Fairphone 5
Step 1: Install Android SDK
To start off, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC or computer. It’s the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google. You should download it and extract it to a convenient location on your PC. Doing this will give you the necessary platform-tools folder.
Step 2: Get the unique code
- Go to the Settings -> About Phone -> IMEI -> Note down the IMEI 1
- After that, head over to Settings -> About Phone -> Model and Hardware -> Note down the Serial Number
- Then, head over to the Fairphone bootloader unlock page before typing your IMEI and Serial Number
- Click on the “Get your Unlock Code” option and note it down
Step 3: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking
Then, you will need to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your smartphone. The former makes your Fairphone 5 recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. Meanwhile, it’ll allow you to easily boot your smartphone to Fastboot Mode.
OEM Unlocking will be needed to carry out the bootloader unlocking process. You’ll need to go to Settings -> About Phone -> Tap on Build number 7 times -> Return to Settings -> System -> Developer Options -> Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.
Step 4: Boot your device to Fastboot mode
- Connect your smartphone to the PC using a USB cable
- Go to the platform-tools folder and type in CMD in the address bar before hitting enter to launch the Command Prompt
- Enter the following command in the CMD window for booting your Fairphone 5 to the Fastboot Mode –
adb reboot bootloader
- Now, type the following command to verify the Fastboot Connection –
fastboot devices
- If you’re getting the Device ID followed by the Fastboot keyword, then your connection stands successful
Step 5: Unlock the bootloader
- Type the following command in the CMD window opened in the platform-tools
fastboot flashing unlock
- Follow the on-screen instructions and your Fairphoen 5 will reboot to the OS
- Now, boot it to the Fastboot Mode and type the following command –
fastboot flashing unlock_critical
- Once again, follow the on-screen instructions and your Fairphone 5 will undergo a reset before booting to the OS
- You might have to reboot your smartphone to the system (if it doesn’t automatically happen)
- To do that, either press the Power Key once or enter the following command –
fastboot reboot
Done!! now your device’s bootloader should be unlocked.
