If you’re the proud owner of a shiny new Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, you may be wondering how to unlock the bootloader and root your device. Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this guide, we will walk you through the process step-by-step. It’s not difficult, but it is important to follow each step carefully if you want to avoid any problems. So without further ado, let’s get started!
After unlocking the bootloader, you may easily install any Custom Firmware or Recovery, as well as root your phone. Some device bootloaders might include an additional layer of security that always verifies the OEM original operating system. As a result, all smartphone manufacturers provide an encrypted bootloader on their phones. Now, if users want to use a specific model’s bootloader, they’ll need an OEM-issued unlock code. However, on certain Android devices these days, you may easily manually unlock the bootloader using some of the techniques outlined below.
Easiest Way To Unlock Bootloader and Root Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro
Before heading over to the process, you should take a complete backup of the important data of your phone. Otherwise, the bootloader unlocking process will wipe out all the device data completely. Ensure that some times, the manufacturer warranty also voids due to the bootloader unlocking. So, check with your device manufacturer at first.
Steps to Unlock Bootloader on Pixel 6 / 6 Pro
- First, enable Developers Options, USB Debugging, and OEM Unlock on your device. (Guide)
- Now, download the ADB & Fastboot Tool and setup on your PC.
- Next, go to the installed ADB & Fastboot Folder in the system directory on the computer. Then do Shift + Right Click to open PowerShell Window Here.
- Make sure to backup all your data as the unlocking bootloader process will delete all your data.
- Connect your device to PC using the original USB data cable.
- Boot your Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro into the bootloader mode by using the command below:
adb reboot bootloader
- Now, to unlock your phone, enter this command in the CMD:
fastboot flashing unlock
- Once done, make sure to download the latest factory image for your specific Pixel 6 model and extract it on the PC.
- Open the extracted folder and here you’ll find out the bootloader image, the radio image, and the image-device-buildnumber.zip file. Simply extract the boot.img file and the vbmeta.img file from this zip.
- Then run the following command to flash the vbmeta image file on your handset:
fastboot flash vbmeta --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta.img
- On your phone allow the device to be unlocked (use Vol keys to navigate and Power key to select)
- Once the Google Pixel 6 or Google Pixel 6 Pro is unlocked, it will restart to Bootloader mode again.
- Now, enter the following command to restart your phone into the system normally:
fastboot reboot
- You’re done.
What is Rooting An Android Device Mean?
Rooting is the process of gaining full admin control of the Android device. You can use the device to its full potential. ‘Rooting’ means giving yourself special privileges or “root permissions” on your phone. It’s similar to running programs as administrators in Windows.
After rooting your device you can install different MODs, kernel, ROMs on your device. You can install the latest Android updates (like the Android 9.0 Pie or above) On old devices by installing third-party ROMs like Lineage OS 16 or AOSP Pie. You can overclock the CPU and GPU of your device to get the best performance. You can hibernate any app you want. You can underclock the CPU to get a better battery life.
For more information about Android rooting, check out our detailed post here > What Is Rooting Android Phone? Advantages And Disadvantages
How To Root Pixel 6 and 6 Pro With Magisk Manager
Before heading over to the process, you have to download the Stock Boot Image or Factory Image file for your specific model and builds.
#1 Download boot.img
Download the boot file according to your device. Once downloaded, unzip the file and open it, look for a .zip extension file which has a name starting with image-flame or image-coral. Open that file too, now you will see a file named boot.img (This is the official stock image or firmware).
#2 Patch boot image
- Move the boot.img to your device’s internal storage.
- Download & install the latest Magisk Manager on your device
- Open magisk manager, On the main screen, select Install > Install > Patch Boot Image File
- Now select the boot image (boot.img). Magisk will start to patch the boot image.
- After completion, the file will be saved as “magisk_patched.img” in your Downloads folder
#3 Finally, Root Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro
- Connect your device to PC and transfer the “magisk_patched.img” file from your phone to the installed ADB & Fastboot folder on the PC.
- Now, type the following command to boot your device to bootloader mode (Make sure your device is connected to the PC).
adb reboot bootloader
- Now issue the command given below to Flash the patched boot image
fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img
- Done !!! Just reboot your device. Your device should be rooted now.
If you have any questions regarding this guide, feel free to leave that in the comment section down below.
