0

I have an android device, locked / not rooted. I'm trying to unlock the bootloader on a mac, adb works fine.

adb devices

adb reboot bootloader

works ok

But then when I try most commands with "fastboot" it won't work,

the only thing working is:

fastboot devices

fastboot --version

fastboot version 28.0.3-5475833

when I try:

fastboot getvar all fastboot oem get-bootinfo

It just goes to a new blank line, then stays there "frozen" until I cancel...

same happens with

fastboot oem unlock

edit, I see that MTK don't need to unlock? IS this correct?

Thanks!

Improve this question
1
  • Apart from MTK specifics: fastboot only works when you're booted into the boot menu – where adb commands won't work (and vice versa).
    – Izzy ♦
    May 24, 2019 at 7:31

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

So you mentioned that

fastboot devices

is a command that works for you, but you didn't mention whether or not you saw any output from your device. While I don't have a lot of experience with MediaTek processors, I'm aware that most of them share the same set of drivers and as a result, you should be able to download the appropriate "universal" USB drivers for Mac.

You won't be able to run

fastboot oem unlock

because your computer doesn't currently detect a device that's plugged in, even if your phone or tablet is displaying the bootloader screen and is connected to your computer over USB.

What I would recommend is Googling the name of your device and the words "USB drivers for Mac" in the same search query and installing the drivers from the manufacturer's website that comes up, or if downloads are provided by XDA or Reddit, from those sites as well.

From Googling, this link: https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917237 comes up that mentions that macOS doesn't require fastboot drivers, but I don't believe that is true anymore, although if that is the case and you cannot find drivers, I would redownload the Android SDK from Android Studio and use the latest version of fastboot from the platform-tools folder.

Improve this answer
2
  • hi @Gideon, thanks I will try that, but my question is, I can connect to ADB, so will the fastboot need an extra driver?
    – manuelBetancurt
    May 24, 2019 at 6:56
  • @manuelBetancurt At least on Windows, it does need extra drivers; Mac should not. And my experience with Nokia phones also tells me that old versions of fastboot will not support newer devices. If you know the vendor ID of your phone manufacturer, then adding it can help: fastboot -i {vendor-id} devices
    – singhnsk
    May 24, 2019 at 8:02

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .