Ironically, Google's own Pixel line is the only reliable source of phones I know of that's both unlockable and relockable with your own keys. The latter is an important feature that even the "hacker friendly" brands like early OnePlus skipped out on.
Hopefully the hardware vendor GrapheneOS is working with can add a second product line to the list.
Some of the ones that seem unlockable are actually not unlockable in practice. Like Xiaomi which provides an unlock option that doesn't work unless you work for Xiaomi.
That was a good read. But I still thought anyone can take graphene os and put it in a phone and sell it? Maybe there is specific licensing restrictions in the android license that stop this.
It's a two-step issue. Manufacturers lock the bootloader and don't provide a method through them to unlock it, therefore making bypassing that "digital lock" in violation of the DMCA.
Bootloaders are locked and most of them are unlockable.
Ironically, Google's own Pixel line is the only reliable source of phones I know of that's both unlockable and relockable with your own keys. The latter is an important feature that even the "hacker friendly" brands like early OnePlus skipped out on.
Hopefully the hardware vendor GrapheneOS is working with can add a second product line to the list.
Most of them are *not unlockable.
Some of the ones that seem unlockable are actually not unlockable in practice. Like Xiaomi which provides an unlock option that doesn't work unless you work for Xiaomi.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/10/trump-...
DMCA and other anti-circumvention regulations.
That was a good read. But I still thought anyone can take graphene os and put it in a phone and sell it? Maybe there is specific licensing restrictions in the android license that stop this.
It's a two-step issue. Manufacturers lock the bootloader and don't provide a method through them to unlock it, therefore making bypassing that "digital lock" in violation of the DMCA.