- The article explains how to unlock the critical partitions of some Android devices, such as the Nothing and Fairphone series, which are partitions that contain essential files for the device’s booting and functioning.
- The article covers the benefits and risks of unlocking the critical partitions, such as being able to install custom files on the device, but also losing warranty, security, and data.
- The article provides a step-by-step guide on how to enable the developer options on the device, connect it to a computer via USB cable, and use a fastboot command to unlock the critical partitions of the device.
Some Android devices have a feature called critical partitions, which are partitions that contain essential files for the device’s booting and functioning. These partitions include the bootloader, the recovery, the radio, and the vendor partitions. By default, these partitions are locked and protected from being modified or overwritten by unauthorized sources. However, some users may want to unlock these partitions to install custom files on their device, such as custom ROMs, recoveries, kernels, mods, and more.
Unlocking the critical partitions of your device is an advanced and optional step that may be required for some devices to install custom files. However, unlocking the critical partitions also comes with some drawbacks that you should consider before proceeding.
First of all, unlocking the critical partitions will erase all the data on your device, so you should backup your important files before doing so. Secondly, unlocking the critical partitions will void your device’s warranty and make it ineligible for official updates and support from the manufacturer. Thirdly, unlocking the critical partitions will make your device less secure and more vulnerable to malware and hackers. You will also lose some features that rely on a locked bootloader or critical partitions, such as Google Pay and Netflix HD streaming. Finally, unlocking the critical partitions may cause some issues with your device’s performance and stability, especially if you flash incompatible or buggy files. Therefore, you should always do some research and follow reliable guides before unlocking the critical partitions and installing custom files on your device.
To unlock the critical partitions of your device, you need to follow some steps that vary depending on the device model and manufacturer. Generally, the process involves enabling the developer options on your device, connecting it to a computer via USB cable, and using a command-line tool called fastboot to send commands to your device. However, some devices may require additional steps, such as obtaining an unlock code from the manufacturer or using a specific software tool. Therefore, we recommend that you check the official instructions for your device model before proceeding.
Please note that unlocking the critical partitions will erase all the data on your device, so make sure to backup your important files before doing so. You should also be aware of the risks and challenges of unlocking the critical partitions, as we have explained above. If you are ready to proceed, follow the steps below:
- Enable Developer Options on your device. To do this, go to Settings > About Phone and tap on the Build Number seven times until you see a message saying “You are now a developer”.
- Go back to Settings > System > Developer Options and enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking. These options will allow you to communicate with your device via fastboot and unlock its bootloader and critical partitions.
- Download and install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer. This will provide you with the fastboot command-line tool that you will use to unlock the critical partitions of your device. You can download it from [here].
- Connect your device to your computer via USB cable and make sure it is recognized by your computer. You can check this by opening a command prompt or terminal window on your computer and typing adb devices. You should see a list of devices attached with their serial numbers. If you see a message saying “unauthorized”, you may need to allow USB debugging on your device by tapping on the pop-up notification.
- Reboot your device into fastboot mode. This can be done by typing adb reboot bootloader in the command prompt or terminal window. Alternatively, you can also use a key combination that varies depending on your device model. For example, for Nothing devices, you can press and hold Volume Down + Power buttons simultaneously until you see a fastboot screen.
- Once your device is in fastboot mode, type fastboot devices in the command prompt or terminal window to make sure it is still recognized by your computer.
- Type fastboot flashing unlock_critical in the command prompt or terminal window to unlock the critical partitions of your device. If this command does not work, you may need to use a different command depending on your device model. For example, for Fairphone devices, you may need to use fastboot oem unlock-critical <unlock code>, where <unlock code> is a code that you obtain from Fairphone’s website after registering your device and providing some information.
- Confirm the unlock process on your device by using the volume keys to select “Yes” and pressing the power button. This will erase all the data on your device and unlock its critical partitions.
- Reboot your device by typing fastboot reboot in the command prompt or terminal window.
Congratulations! You have successfully unlocked the critical partitions of your Android device. You can now proceed to install custom ROMs, recoveries, kernels, mods, and more on your device. However, be careful when doing so and always follow reliable guides from trusted sources. We hope this guide was helpful for you and if you have any questions or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. We are not responsible for any damage or loss that may occur to your device, data, or warranty as a result of following this guide. Unlocking the critical partitions of your device may void its warranty, erase its data, reduce its security, and affect its performance and stability. You should only proceed if you are fully aware of the risks and challenges involved and if you have sufficient knowledge and experience in Android development. You should always backup your important files before unlocking the critical partitions and follow reliable guides from trusted sources.