For certain advanced users and developers, unlocking the Android operating system on their smartphones is a common practice. Once unlocked, it grants elevated privileges and access to deeper system functions, enabling the use of powerful tools that depend on root-level permissions within Android.
However, unlocking a device can also introduce a range of complications. Applications protected by DRM may malfunction, and some financial apps might refuse to operate on unlocked devices for reasons. Unexpectedly, even AI services are now beginning to feel the effects of this restriction.
Google Gemini Nano, a lightweight version of the company’s artificial intelligence model, was specifically designed to run locally on smartphones, utilizing the device’s GPU/NPU computing power without uploading user data to the cloud.
This architecture allows Google to bring AI capabilities to a broader range of Android devices while offering faster response times and reducing cloud resource consumption. Over time, it is expected that an increasing number of new Android smartphones will support Gemini Nano.
Unfortunately, Google has now explicitly stated in its ML Kit API documentation that devices with an unlocked bootloader will be unable to access the ML Kit API. The exact reasoning behind this decision remains unclear, but it will undoubtedly inconvenience users who rely on unlocked systems.
According to Google’s support documentation:
“AICore failed with error type 3-PREPARATION_ERROR and error code 606-FEATURE_NOT_FOUND: Feature … is not available: This could happen when AICore hasn’t finished downloading the latest configurations. When the device is connected to the internet, it usually takes a few minutes to a few hours to update. Restarting the device can speed up the update.
Note that if the device’s bootloader is unlocked, you’ll also see this error—this API does not support devices with unlocked bootloaders.”
In truth, the number of users seeking to unlock their devices for root access has been steadily declining, as major smartphone manufacturers continue to tighten restrictions on bootloader unlocking. Some OEMs have even eliminated the option altogether.
As a result, this new policy will likely affect only a small fraction of users — yet it also marks the gradual shrinking of freedom for power users and professionals who once thrived on the open spirit of Android.
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