yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
So your claiming scratching the sim will enable you to unlock the bootloader of the Pixel phones. What portion of the sim did you scratch out?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
doesnt. work. i tried this and i ruined a sim card.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
Sorry to hear that, but I figured as much it made no sense why it would work.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] petiolarissean:
smail amzdak on facebook can unlock bootloader on all verizon,eu models pixels
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] puum1527:
yes he did both of mine.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
Smail is the real deal. My OEM toggle did not grey out, it took him maybe about 15 minutes and he did a legit job. No weird stuff. He didn't ask for a payment. I did offer to reward him for his time .
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
Did you ask him how he did this so it can become common knowledge?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
It has something to do with the phone not registering as a Verizon model.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
For those interested he said he would do it for 30$ mine is already unlocked so I can NOT vouch if this works but others have.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Lieutenant Fudge:
I just looked for the guy on facebook and he replied to me pretty quickly. I asked him about it and he said it would be $30 bucks, and I gladly accepted. His whole process took maybe 15 minutes like the guy above said, and while he did initially say it was 30 bucks he did the entire unlock without me paying him, I paid him after i verified everything was unlocked (I had to ask him for his email like 6 times haha)

Dudes legit, thank god lol now I can lurk the forums again and look for what to do with my unlocked phone
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
Yes I can vouch for him. He unlocked mine about 3 hours ago. It took him maybe 20 mins. He had to do whatever process it was twice. For some reason it didn't take the first time around but the second time it worked like a charm. Here are screen shots to prove it.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
Yeah I had to ask him about 5 times where do I send the money.

---------- Post added at 06:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:53 AM ----------

Yeah he won't say. I don't think he wants Google to patch so quickly. I asked why not get the recognition for it. Make a name for yourself. He said he's not worried about that.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
Well least we have a way to unlock hopefully those that need it will get in touch with him and do it, not sure if that bounty is still active but I bet those people would gladly pay 30$ for an unlock.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] GunToYoMouth123:
Yeah I had a conversation with him about as to why he didn't wanna share it with the community he said it's because he didn't want Google or Verizon to patch it. And that him and Google apparently have had a terrible relationship in the past. He did charge $30 but he said after he does the rooting. Lol so I'm sure he's legit. I'm doing it tomorrow. APPARENTLY it has something to do with you removing the sim card.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] DA6030:
Can you let us know, is the method device-side or server-side? In other words, did you have to do anything to your phone (more complicated than a reboot or factory reset or SIM swap), or was it something he did behind the scenes that just made it work?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
I didn't talk to him about his and Google's relationship. He just said he didn't want this to get patched immediately. He didn't send me his PayPal link till he was done and I was happy. I've been doing this since the first Moto x and RAZR. I've got no problem unlocking my bootloader, but as soon as I clicked the "OEM unlocking" he took over and unlocked the bootloader without me asking.

My best guess is he has you

1.log out of your Google account on your device.

2. Turn off your lockscreen.

3. Power off and remove sim

4. Boot into recovery and Factory reset

5. Reboot and set up your device without logging in to your google, no wifi, no sim.

6.once you've set up your device he runs some software that takes all if 3 mins then tells you to turn on WiFi

7. He then ask you to go to settings and check your developer options to see if the OEM unlocking is greyed out or if it's lit up and ready for you to toggle.

8. If not then you go back thru the process each time hopefully doing everything in the exact right order.

Once you toggle the OEM unlocking he then runs fastboot commands to unlock your bootloader.

9. The. He sends his PayPal link.

So from what I could tell he needs your phone to be completely off the grid. No ability to contact any server or service to instruct it to grey out you OEM unlocking switch based on it being Verizon. So what software he runs on his end I have no idea. Maybe some type of tool like Odin is for Samsung. Who knows but it works Beautifully.

---------- Post added at 08:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:36 PM ----------

I didn't do anything more than set up the phone after factory reset and I did the factory reset. He did all the rebooting to bootloader and bootloader unlocking and did all this thru your PC while device connected to it. Every now and then you would see him move the mouse pointed on your screen but that was usually to get your attention to read his message on Facebook messenger. Or wwhen he logged into the remote PC interface. You could not see what he was doing. There were two pieces of software he downloads to your PC and installs. I can't recall what they are and I have uninstalled and deleted them already. I did a search on all files moved, modified, and installed on my PC and there was no funny business what so ever. Seems like one program was some type of flash player or something like that. Don't have a clue what it's purpose was. But once I factory reset his portion took less time than the reset took.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] VCURamEngineer:
This was not my experience at all. He didn't install anything on my PC. He used TeamViewer to enter his credentials into Flexihub, then immediately disconnected. You can actually install Flexihub and share your device without him even needing to access your PC. Not sure what all this flashplayer business is you're talking about.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
You didn't notice the .exe files that got installed I never saw the actual install window but I saw the file downloading tab on the bottom of CHROME. And I saw him click on it. After all was said and done I still had to ask him for his PayPal link. But it was a good thing because before I was going to pay I was gonna be sure I could find and uninstall the software I saw him download. And I did indeed uninstall two different programs from the control panel/ programs list that I noticed I had never heard of. I arranged my programs in order of latest modified, and that's how I knew which ones he had installed or ran or whatever.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
Just curious if anyone has a Pixel 2 does the unlock method work ? I don't see why not as the software is pretty much the same.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] azlodaniel:
How do we go about getting in touch with him? I would love to get mine Unlocked.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
You can contact him here http://www.facebook.com/ismail.amzdak
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Alaadragonfire:
Do you happen to remember what the software names are ? Maybe it will gives us an idea about how the work is done. Tried to contact him over FB no reply yet.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
No I sure don't remember. If anyone knows how to some how watch what he does to your system on your PC that would be the ticket. But I have no clue. My instincts were telling me to hurry and get what ever software was loaded off of my PC. You know with all this identity theft **** going on these days. But I will say that dude is pretty smart and knows his ****. He offers all types of services through his Facebook page. For all different types of devices. Mostly unlocking methods and bad ESN fixes. It's almost like he's gotten ahold of the manufacturers flashing tools.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Bramton1:
I'm very conflicted by this. I want my bootloader unlocked and phone rooted, but I also am nervous about handing over remote access to my phone. That and I would need a non Paypal option for payment (my wife is the accountant and controls the finances and would have a massive problem with me paying for this).
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
nothing happened to me when i let himremote into my pc. As far as the payment goes..... idk what to tell you, tell your wife its for work purposes
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] AllusionPDX:
Just took a leap of faith here and contacted him and went for it, works perfectly, guy even does the work first so you know its not BS. Massive respect to him!
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
welcome to the other side .
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
I say you go for it everyone who tried it succeeded and it seems like everything is fine also the guy does the work and makes sure before he asks for payment he's genuine.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] blksprk:
He just unlocked mine. simple and straight forward. I'm beyond excited.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] defvayne:
That's why I will be reformatting an old laptop and using that to do the process.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] konfidential:
He did mines yesterday... Everything is done on his side.. If privacy is a concern then use a pubic computer or an old laptop.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] epikroms:
All I have to about him is that he is awesome. I have not only let him unlock my Pixel,but, he has spend a couple hours with me the other day on an LG he has never tried. He doesn't charge you hourly it's a flat price. We keep in contact and he is good at what he does.

Those of you who are skeptical, just watch the Flexihub UI and everything except the adb shell is being used, all others are locked. He is a good guy and don't worry too much about it being remotely done. If you are uncomfortable, just remove all access and software after the procedure is done and you'll be safe. Give him a go it's worth the little money he charges. I fixes imei numbers too. Whatever services you need he provides.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattwheat:
Yeah there's no worries. It worked with out a hitch. He doesn't really have time to do anything else. But as a precaution I wiped all software and access he used and had me download just to be on the safe side. I've since wiped everything on my phone and fast booted the stock .img. I've been through about 5 roms since he unlocked me. And soft bricked a couple times. Hence why I had to wipe entire phone and start from scratch. So there can't be anything implemented on my phone. So I'm sure I'm safe. He seems like a stand up guy also. I mean he puts his faith in you to pay him once he's done the job. That's almost unheard of in this industry.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] defvayne:
Got mine done yesterday also.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
VRZ Pixel Unlocked

Its been quite a while since I've posted to this site, back in the day of rooting my Samsung Galaxy S1, however I have been following this thread for awhile since I discovered that my 1st Gen Pixel that I recently purchased as an unlocked Pixel was actually a Verizon Pixel and though unlocked from the carrier, it was not possible to throw the OEM unlock switch because it was greyed out. Well as of yesterday it is unlocked and is now rooted thanks to the fellow you all have posted about. Opened a Facebook account just to reach him, however I also discovered he has an ebay account if you'd rather connect that way. Note that during the process the greyed out switch changed to normal to allow the switch to be moved, but the switch is now back to being grey in the locked position, but the bootloader is unlocked and I am now rooted via Magisk. For his ebay ad just search ebay for "Verizon Google Pixel and Pixel XL Bootloader Unlock" One other note is the Pixel is on February's security update for O 8.1. Any other info needed just ask.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] i42o:
I don't get how you say it goes back to being greyed out... Mine has been fully functional since I got it unloved by smail and that's thru several rom flashes...
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Do not know why but it went back to being greyed out. I was still messaging with him when I noticed it and he said to reboot it to make sure it was still unlocked and it was. I was concerned also because I had read other posts where it was said that it was no longer greyed. Just know it is unlocked. He told me that if I had any issues to get back in touch with him. I rooted this morning with no problems. Now that it is rooted I would like to get it so it is not greyed, just in case.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] santamanga:
Could you be the guinea pig for this:

https://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=75442451&postcount=24

;)
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
I second this, also has anyone tried to unlock a pixel 2 or pixel 2 xl as this should work for them
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Okay I will look into this:

"Once your rooted you can download a root explorer and go to /data/system/users open up 0.xml with text editor and look for <restrictions /> ...... at the bottom of page change value to "false" This will allow the toggle to work like it should. "

---------- Post added at 09:09 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:50 AM ----------

Following these steps "Once your rooted you can download a root explorer and go to /data/system/users open up 0.xml with text editor and look for <restrictions /> ...... at the bottom of page change value to "false" This will allow the toggle to work like it should." it does remove the greyed out OEM unlocked and it shows as unlocked.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Went back in and looked at the file again after booting and the line is now gone. Compared it to my rooted 5x and the 0.xml files are almost identical. Difference is with the sailfish vs bullhead.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
So basically that line is the one stopping us from freeing being able to unlock and lock our bootloaders.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Not sure but reading other posts it looks like back in the day of depixel8 this was one of the files modified. Just do not know what other items Smail modified.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] santamanga:
Hey, also positive feedback from my side for this guy and his flexihub method - that he advertised on ebay com a bit cheaper.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Wish I had found his ebay ad sooner. I do a little on Twitter but not facebook, but I got no response from him on Twitter. Tried for 2 weeks. So set up a facebook account to reach him. Then did a google search on his name and came up with the ebay ad. Even though I have not seen any issues with Smail's procedures posted here, thought some people would be more comfortable using ebay so I posted the info about him having the ad here.

Just know he is great to work with. I did not have teamviewer set up correctly and he could not log onto my computer. He messaged me to set up "AnyDesk" which worked great for him to access the pixel through my laptop.

Thanks to all of you for posting your experiences.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] headcreepz:
I also paid the $30 and it only took him one try...about 10 mins..super easy!!! I recommend him!!! Actually seemed like a real cool dude.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] mattXdezzi:
i can also vouch for him. contacted him on facebook and he was able to do it in about 5 min.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Rodrigocordoba16:
New metod to unlock pixel XL

Same here, 5 five min for a Happy unlock pixel :)

Pd. For the procedure i use a vm with virtualbox and chat with him vía real os ( for no data secure my personal data)
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] vbwoy:
What the guy name
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] buzman78:
Smail Amzdak
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] meet2x4:
Huge thumbs up on this. Just got mine done my Mr. Amzdak. Took all of about 3 minutes, $10 a minute (not bad right haha). Got everything prepped ahead of time to speed up the process. I don't do social media so getting ahold of him on the bay was nice. Pro tip: message him about the "item" first and see if he'll take payment afterwards. Doing it through the bay put a 3 week hold on the payment and now I'm short 30 bucks for a week waiting on a refund.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] steambrick:
So if this truly works we should be able to set him up with the admins and get this man the bounty money! That way he can get paid for his hard work and everyone will benefit. Win/win
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Bramton1:
He's already getting paid for his hard work. $30 a pop. Needs to release the update publicly for the bounty.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] steambrick:
I was referring to some of the members saying he really doesn't care about getting paid. Like he doesn't even ask for payment after he unlocks the phone.

Pretty sure if the admins could hook up with him and verify everything he probably wouldn't mind accepting the bounty of a few hundred dollars. Of course that's my hope.

That way the community can get ahold of the code/process and refine it for simple use.

Anybody that's had it done, can you contact him and get him connected to bounty admins?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] znel52:
He doesn't want to release it publicly because it will be patched
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] steambrick:
Which is why he can get ahold of the admins and work with them to make sure it can't get patched. I know I speak for a few people when I say it's difficult to trust a stranger getting remote access to your computer (even if it's through a VM) then allowing them unfiltered control of your phone.

If he really wants to help or get paid, he'll go through the community and allow the natural checks and balances to legitimize his process.

Just my 2¢
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Kevin578:
How

How can it be released publicly without it getting patched? Google will just download the tool too if it's public, see what it does, and then patch it.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] znel52:
How can they possibly make sure it can't get patched? If he releases to the community it becomes public. Google will have it patched in a month and then we are back to 100 threads of ppl whining for an unlock. I hope he keeps it private so ppl stuck with verizon versions can continue to unlock. Unlock methods are extremely hard to come by now for locked down devices.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] steambrick:
Ok so I should have said "try their best to keep it from getting patched out" that's kind of the whole point of the entire forum. This community is pretty awesome at working towards getting our devices unlocked to giving us more control over those devices. This wouldn't be an overnight thing. It would take weeks or possibly months to work through it. But he would be getting help and people could have the piece of mind knowing the process has been vetted through the community.

The biggest problem here is giving someone, we don't know personally, access to our computer and phone. It's just not safe practice. You may have a different opinion on this but anyone that takes security of their personal information seriously would never allow that kind of access to a stranger. It's just opening oneself to so many problems down the road. Honestly the money doesn't even matter.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] jugaluli:
Had my device unlocked by him a few days ago. Managed to capture inputs within a VM along with screening entire session. Managed to decompile entire procedure and saw an IMEI/ESN obtaining cmd. Removed that part and it still works so I'm not sure why that part was in there.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] jakeman19751023:
OK. Can you tell us what all he did then?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] JUs92jal:
Would you be willing to share with the community at large?

It is curious about the IMEI/ESN pulling command; is it possible with this information to maliciously clone a phone?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] DBAtrainee:
For clarifications sake, he told me price for service in the first message he sent me. Idk where this "he's in it for the community" BS is coming from. He's got a monopoly and wants payment
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] ellopr:
He increase the amount he is charging in EBAY, now $32. Supposedly you can make an offer but anything below $30 is automatically rejected. He is in for the money. although he has all the right to charge for it, for me is a little on the expensive side. I will wait to see if a cheaper option happens. I paid $10 dollars for something similar to unlock a Sprint Note 8 carrier lock that required the seller to have an special machine for the process to work on his end. This thing get cheaper the more people learn how to do it.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] santamanga:
Regardless if he released the procedure to the public, that is what would have been bound to happen anyway. Someone secretly analyzing the steps through a vm. And if it was a Verizon employee, and not a forum member, the method would be fixed.

So i can understand the guy is trying to cash in on it while it lasts.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] beez1717:
I just might do this simply to get Viper. Heh. That's really all I want root for but for $30? I don't know since I'm a broke student. Lol.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
30$ isn't that bad depending on how long your gonna keep the phone. Also you can root via Magisk and still pass safetynet and get all the root features without the secruity issues.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] icdmize:
Double edit. Just used Smail Amzdak's service on my OEM locked Verizon Pixel XL on 8.1 with the March update and now it's unlocked. He provided friendly and prompt service. Look him up on Facebook. There's no need to use Teamviewer. Just create a free Flexihub account and share the device to the email he provides. Thanks again Smail!

(I realize I sound like a commercial but I'm just so hyped to have an unlocked phone again. Screw you Verizon.)
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] Bramton1:
I'd love to do it, but I can't afford his price tag right now.
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] luckylui:
I paid the man $35.00 bucks and he got my Pixel bootloader unlocked! Great guy. Not sure how some of you call him and ass, but he took care of it in 20 mins. Sent him money through WU and done! Time to root and hop on Lineage!! WOOOHOHOHOHO
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] beez1717:
How? I'm on Verizon so I'm not unlocked. What do you do in that case? Is the only way to pay up?
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] EstiR86:
Yes you can pay 30$ to get it unlocked by a guy on Facebook named Smail
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] bsmitty83:
I would be willing to bet it's being done via a jtag box like this one.

https://octoplusbox.com/en/news/octoplus-jtag-pro-software-v-1-4-6-is-out/
[Google Pixel XL Guides, News, & Discussion] monza1412:
add me to the "unlocked by Smail" list. Simply put, brilliant!.