OnePlus 9R Unlock Bootloader Guide and Relock It Later

In this tutorial, we will show you the steps to unlock the bootloader on your OnePlus 9R as well as relock it later on. OnePlus 9R is the lighter version of the OnePlus 9R which mainly focuses on the budget line and it looks similar to the OnePlus 9. The device sports 6.5-inch full-HD+ Fluid AMOLED screen with a 120Hz maximum refresh rate and HDR10+, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 SoC.

There’s a plethora of tweaks, modifications, and custom binaries available for various OnePlus devices, and the OnePlus 9R is no different either. Although it has only been only a couple of months since its launch, we are already seeing impressive support for this device. But to carry out these tweaks, there is just one requirement that needs to be met- your OnePlus 9R should have an unlocked bootloader. In this guide, we will help you with just that. Likewise, we will also show you how to relock the device’s bootloader, if you wish to do so at a later stage.

OnePlus 9R Device Overview:

The Oneplus 9R features a 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. It has a refresher rate of 120Hz and supports HDR10+ content. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood, we have the Snapdragon 870 5G chip built on a 7nm manufacturing process. This is an octa-core processor with one Kryo 585 core clocked at 3.2 GHz, three Kryo 585 cores clocked at 2.42 GHz, and four Kryo 585 cores at 1.8 GHz. For handling the graphics-intensive tasks, we have the Adreno 650.

In terms of cameras, we have a quad-camera setup at the rear and a single camera at the front. The rear quad-camera consists of a 48 MP primary sensor paired with an f/1.7 lens, a 16MP ultrawide sensor paired with an f/2.2 lens, a 5MP macro sensor paired with an f/2.4 lens, and a 2MP monochrome sensor paired with an f/2.4 lens. Coming to the front, we have a 16MP sensor paired with an f/2.4 lens. The rear camera can capture 4K videos at 60fps, while the front camera is only limited to 1080p video recording. We get Optical Image Stabilization or OIS with only the primary camera at the rear.

The device comes with Android 11 out of the box with Oneplus’s OxygenUI skin on top. There are three storage options available for this device: 128GB internal storage + 8GB RAM, 256GB internal storage + 8GB RAM, and 256GB internal storage + 12GB RAM. They have used the latest UFS 3.1 for the storage units here.

In terms of communications, we have Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, Bluetooth 5.1, GPS, NFC, and USB Type-C 3.1. And for sensors, we get an under-display optical fingerprint sensor, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, and compass. Powering it all is a 4500 mAh battery, and the company claims that it can be topped up from 0 to 100% in just 39 min. The smartphone is available in two color options: Carbon Black and Lake Blue.

Advantages/Risks with an Unlocked Bootloader

There is a plentitude of perks associated with an unlocked bootloader. To begin with, you could flash custom ROMs like LineageOS, Pixel Experience, etc. Along the same lines, installing a custom recovery like TWRP is also a possibility. This in turn will allow you to flash ZIP and IMG files, wipe various partitions, create and restore Nandroid backup, etc. Likewise, you could also root your device via Magisk and gain access to administrative rights.

nandroid backup twrp — Nandroid Backup feature of TWRP

However, these modifications come with a few risks as well. For example, it will wipe off all the data from your device and might make the warranty null and void as well. Furthermore, apps like Google Pay, Netflix, and Pokemon Go might not function properly. The entire process is risky and might cause a few issues if not performed correctly. With that said, if you are ready to proceed ahead, then here are the steps to unlock the bootloader on the OnePlus 9R.

Unlock Bootloader on OnePlus 9R

Before we list out the instructions, there are a few necessities that you need to go through. Make sure you checkmark all these requirements.

Prerequisites

First and foremost, create a complete device backup. This is because the unlocking process is going to wipe off all the data from your device.
Next up, enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device as well. The former will make your device recognizable by your PC in ADB mode. The latter will allow you to carry out the unlocking procedure. So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.
Also, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This will provide you with the necessary ADB and Fastboot binaries.

That’s it. You may now proceed with the steps to unlock the bootloader on the OnePlus 9R.

Instruction Steps

Connect your device to the PC via USB Cable. Make sure Debugging is enabled.
Then head over to the platform tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
Now type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your OnePlus device to Fastboot Mode:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
Execute the below command and if you get a unique string of alphanumeric characters, then it signifies that the device has successfully booted to Fastboot.
```
fastboot devices
```
Finally, type in the below command to start the unlocking process
```
fastboot oem unlock
```
As soon as you do so, you will get a confirmation message on your device. Select Unlock the Bootloader option via Volume Keys and hit the Power key to confirm your decision.
The process will now begin and should only take a few seconds. Once that is done, your device should boot to the OS. If that doesn’t happen, then you may manually do so as well, using the below commands:
```
fastboot reboot
```

These were the steps to unlock the bootloader on the OnePlus 9R. Do keep in mind that the first boot will take up some time, this is completely normal. Furthermore, you will have to set up your device from scratch by logging into your Google account. That’s it. Let’s now turn our attention towards the relocking process.

Relock Bootloader on OnePlus 9R

If you wish to relock the device’s bootloader and go back to stock, then the below instructions shall help you out. But before that, there are some pretty important points worth discussing. make sure that your device doesn’t have any custom binary installed. By that we mean, it shouldn’t be rooted, nor it should have TWRP installed.

Most importantly, it should be running the stock OxygenOS firmware and not any custom ROM. So if you tick mark all these requirements, then proceed with the below steps to relock the bootloader on your OnePlus 9R device.

First and foremost, create a backup of all the data stored on your device.
Next up, enable USB Debugging on your device (Settings > About Phone > Developer Options).
Then go to the platform tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the CMD window.
Now type in the following command in the Command Prompt window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode:
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
Finally, execute the below command to start the locking process:
```
fastboot oem lock
```
You should now get a confirmation message on your device. Use the Volume keys to select the Lock the Bootloader option, and press the Power key to confirm it.
Your device will now reboot to the OS and you should be greeted with the welcome screen. If it doesn’t automatically boots up, then you may use the below fastboot command for the same.
```
fastboot reboot
```

Now just set up the device using your Google ID and that is it. These were the steps to unlock as well as relock the bootloader on your OnePlus 9R device. If you have any queries, do let us know in the comments section below. Rounding off, don’t forget to have a look at our iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Trick section as well.