The Google Nexus 7 Android tablet has been up for pre-order now for a few days and already there is a factory image and instructions to unlock the bootloader. In order to unlock the bootloader you will need a basic knowledge of adb and the Android SDK downloaded on your computer.
NOTE: Unlocking the bootloader on the Google Nexus 7 will wipe all data from the device so if you have already installed apps or anything else be sure to back it up.
How to Unlock the Nexus 7 Bootloader:
- Install Google Android SDK (Download Site)
- Enable USB Debugging on the Nexus 7 “Settings -> Developer Options”
- Connect your Nexus 7 to your Mac or PC
- Launch either Terminal on Mac or Command Prompt on PC
- Navigate to the fastboot folder within the Android SDK
- Type “fastboot oem unlock”, press enter
- Type “fastboot reboot”, press enter
- Congrats your Bootloader is unlocked!
The next step is usually installing a custom recovery like ClockworkMod which we will link to here shortly after the posting of this article. Keep in mind that unlocking the Nexus 7 bootloader may void your warranty and as always we aren’t responsible for the use of these instructions, be sure you know what you are doing before beginning. If you have any issues with the steps above please feel free to post in the comments below.