Android devices come with the bootloader locked for general security reasons. These security advantages are of little use to a skilled geek who is looking to customize a device and play with root access. As long as you are an advanced Android user and understand the ins and outs of basic scams, it’s highly unlikely your device is going to be targeted by scammers wanting your data.

REQUIREMENTS

• The following guide is intended for the Huawei Mate 7 smartphone. The steps my vary if you are looking to unlock the bootloader on a different device.
• You must have a computer that is running a Windows operating system to follow this guide. Our guide uses adb on Windows only and will not have the same set up instructions if you are using a Mac or Linux computer. With that being said, there are ways out there in which you can set up adb on a Mac or Linux computer.

BEFORE WE BEGIN

• Enable the USB Debugging Mode on the Mate 7 by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > USB Debugging Mode.
• Unlock the Developer Options menu if you do not see it from your Settings by tapping on the Menu > Settings > About Device > Build Number.
• You are agreeing to void the Huawei warranty when you follow this guide and unlock the bootloader.

HOW TO UNLOCK BOOTLOADER ON HUAWEI MATE 7

1. Point to this website and get your unlock code ready.
   – Use Google translate if you need to get it in your native tongue.
2. Set up adb on your Windows computer by using our detailed guide.
3. From within the adb folder, right-click and hold down Shift where there is nothing but the white background.
4. Choose the option to “open a new command window here” from the new menu that pops out after you follow the step above.
5. Type the first command from the command prompt window: #adb reboot-bootlader
6. The Mate 7 device will now boot in bootloader mode; now it’s time to unlock with the following command.
7. Type the second command in the command prompt: #fastboot oem unlock [your unlock code here]

In conclusion, your bootloader on the Huawei Mate 7 should now be unlocked. You will know that the bootloader of the Huawei Mate 7 smartphone is unlocked by observing an unlocked padlock icon available from the display during the booting process and before your stock ROM loads.

Now that you have successfully unlocked the bootloader on the Huawei Mate 7 smartphone, it’s time to check out how to install a custom recovery on the Huawei Mate 7 device. A custom recovery is advantageous for several reasons. Many people want to have a custom recovery so they can use the NANDroid feature to take complete backups. Others want it to install custom firmware or custom kernels. Further, anyone wanting to root the Mate 7 will need the custom recovery installed for that reason alone.