Hey guys, today I’m going to share how to unlock the bootloader of Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 devices also comes with an unlockable bootloader and a locked one. The variance between the two is rather minor on paper but makes lots of difference whenever you try to gain root access or install a custom recovery on the device. An unlockable bootloader is technically locked in the first spot but can be unlocked, while an unlocked bootloader wasn’t locked in the first spot, which means you can instantly proceed to gain root access on it.
Therefore, if you’re looking to root or flash a custom recovery on your Nexus 6 device, you will need to unlock the bootloader of the device first. The solutions to unlock the bootloader on the newest Nexus device are mostly similar to its predecessor except for a small change. Before you proceed with the steps, make sure to create a backup of your entire data since unlocking the bootloader will wipe your handset clean.
Download the files:
ADB Drivers for Windows
ADB/Fastboot: Windows, Mac
Steps to unlock the bootloader of Nexus 6:
Step No 1: First of all, download the ADB drivers for Windows and the correct version of ADB/Fastboot for your Computer.
Step No 2: Extract the ADB/Fastboot ZIP file inside a folder called “nexus6″ on your desktop. Windows users will also require to install the drivers & restart their PC or Laptop before they can proceed further.
Step No 3: On your Nexus 6, go to Settings > About Phone and tap the ‘Build Number’ option 7 times to enable Developer Options. Now, head over to Settings > Developer Options and check the ‘Enable OEM unlock’ option.
Reboot to Fastboot mode
Step No 4: You’ll now have to reboot your Nexus 6 into Bootloader so that you can execute the Fastboot command to unlock its bootloader. To do this, turn off the device, and then press the Volume Down key + Power button at the same time for a few seconds.
Step No 5: Connect the device to your PC or Laptop and start a new Command prompt or Terminal window on it. Simply use the ‘cd’ command to navigate to the “nexus6” folder on your desktop.
cd/desktop/nexus6
However, you can simply drag ‘n’ drop the nexus6 folder to the Terminal or Command Prompt window as well.
Unlocking the bootloader
Step No 6: Run the following command to first make sure that the Nexus 6 is being detected by your PC or Laptop.
fastboot devices
Mac users, you will require to prefix a “./” before each Fastboot or ADB command you run. Thus, the above command will look something like this for you:
./fastboot devices
If your device is recognized, you’ll receive a valid response along with the device ID of your Nexus 6.
Step No 7: Finally, unlock the bootloader of your Nexus 6 by running the following command:
fastboot oem unlock
Step No 8: You will need to confirm the selection on your Nexus 6 by pressing the Volume Up key. Your Nexus 6 will reboot back into Bootloader mode during the process. Once you get the ‘Device is UNLOCKED’ message on your screen, use the Volume keys to navigate to the begin option and confirm your selection by pressing the Power button.
Your Nexus 6 will now reboot into Android. The first boot might take up to 5 minutes.
