I want to unlock the bootloader on my FP5. OEM unlock is active in the system settings. In the bootloader it says DEVICE STATE - locked. With the Windows platform tools and ‘fastboot devices’ my device is displayed when I boot it in fastboot mode. However, the command ‘fastboot flashing unlock’ gives the error message FAILED (remote: ‘Unrecognized command flashing unlock’)
fastboot: error: Command failed
What am I doing wrong?
What OS is installed on your PC? It can be an incompatible cable, missing bootloader driver…
Should you use windows have a look here
My operating system is Windows 10. Communication works when I query the connected devices. But only when I boot the phone in fastboot mode.
I would still check for bootloader driver or try different cable, USB Ports.
Ok, i try that. Does the communication with ‘fastboot flashing unlock’ have to work when the phone is in the bootloader or when it is in fastboot mode?
- Next, type
adb reboot bootloaderand press Enter
. The phone will now reboot into fastboot mode. - While in fastboot mode, type
fastboot flashing unlock
from https://support.fairphone.com/hc/en-us/articles/10492476238865-Manage-the-Bootloader
Its the “same” . There is as well fastbootd which would be wrong in this use case.
Isn’t fastboot oem unlock the proper command to unlock the bootloader? 
No not since the FP4 at least
That was exactly the point. I always tried it in Fastbootd. Communication worked there. You actually need a different driver for the bootloader / Fastboot. But it’s not easy to find. The one from Microsoft didn’t work. I’ve now used one that doesn’t look very trustworthy. It would be good if we could find an official driver and link it here.
Thank you very much! Everything worked for me now.
I did linked you a post in which it is described how to update the driver using windows updates? Did you follow this? There is normally no need to download something from somewhere…
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I tried that right from the start following the instructions (xx). When I try to install one of the drivers under Android - Google, a warning appears: “It is not recommended to install this device driver because it cannot be confirmed that it is compatible with the existing hardware components. If the driver is incompatible, the hardware component may not work properly.”
I didn’t want to risk that for a flash process.
The driver under Android - Google - Bootloader seems to work, though.
However, for testing purposes, I only installed the driver and tested the communication with “fastboot devices”.