Shocker: the Verizon Pixel won’t have an unlockable bootloader

If you’re familiar with Verizon and their history with Android devices, this article will not come as a surprise. The bootloaders on the Verizon Pixel and Pixel XL will not be unlockable. Evan Blass (@evleaks) was the one who confirmed what everyone already assumed. Verizon doesn’t like modding.

These Pixel devices won’t have Big Red’s logo plastered all over, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t been touched by Verizon. You won’t see quite as much bloatware and you’ll get all of the fancy Google Assistant features, but this is still a Verizon phone. It will be hard to mod the software and you might not even get the same speedy updates. Verizon’s track record is not good.

If you really want the Pixel or Pixel XL on Verizon, keep in mind that the models from the Google Store work flawlessly on Big Red. They have unlockable bootloaders and are guaranteed to get updates immediately. It’s always a good idea to keep carriers out of your business.