Database Info

Request for a Guide

I'm not so happy with EMUI 8/Oreo on my Mate 9. Several widgets don't update, requiring me to change the screen resolution during the day (weird temporary fix). I'd rather run Nova but EMUI pushes against that. I have a pretty good backup phone (ZTE Axon 7) so I thought I would give a generic system image a try. The last time I rooted and installed an alternative ROM was 2014, so I'm rusty. I successfully put minimal fastboot on a PC, unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP 3.2.1-0 (something may have gone wrong already at this point since I accessed it by vol up + power, rather than vol up + vol down + power). Then I installed the generic system image. It booted, but gave error messages at boot. Perhaps all I needed to do was install it a second time, but instead I tried installing a different image, achieved bootloop, made matters worse, and was rescued by the amazing and wonderful FunkyHuawei.
I am thinking about trying again, but I wondered if an expert would write a more patient guide that provides the exact steps to flashing a generic system image. By the exact steps, I mean with links to files and what you type in minimal fastboot (if indeed that is the right program), or when it is best to install from an SD card. I'm sure such a guide would get more people to try other ROMs besides the generic ROM.

prestonmcafee said:
I'm not so happy with EMUI 8/Oreo on my Mate 9. Several widgets don't update, requiring me to change the screen resolution during the day (weird temporary fix). I'd rather run Nova but EMUI pushes against that. I have a pretty good backup phone (ZTE Axon 7) so I thought I would give a generic system image a try. The last time I rooted and installed an alternative ROM was 2014, so I'm rusty. I successfully put minimal fastboot on a PC, unlocked the bootloader and installed TWRP 3.2.1-0 (something may have gone wrong already at this point since I accessed it by vol up + power, rather than vol up + vol down + power). Then I installed the generic system image. It booted, but gave error messages at boot. Perhaps all I needed to do was install it a second time, but instead I tried installing a different image, achieved bootloop, made matters worse, and was rescued by the amazing and wonderful FunkyHuawei.
I am thinking about trying again, but I wondered if an expert would write a more patient guide that provides the exact steps to flashing a generic system image. By the exact steps, I mean with links to files and what you type in minimal fastboot (if indeed that is the right program), or when it is best to install from an SD card. I'm sure such a guide would get more people to try other ROMs besides the generic ROM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By a generic system image, you are referring to wanting to install an aosp image (treble ROM), correct?

Yes.

prestonmcafee said:
Yes.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And obviously you still have your bootloader unlock code?
Also what Mate 9 version do you have and what exact firmware is it running?
I can help ya out no problem. Just obviously want to make sure you avoid going through that again

Thanks, Wirmpolter! I have the unlock code, but it shows as unlocked, at least I get the dire warning about the device being unsafe on boot. I have the US model, build number MHA-L29 9.0.0.360 (C567), with both Android and EMUI versions listed as 8.0.0.

Sorry, MHA-L29 8.0.0.360 (C567)

prestonmcafee said:
Thanks, Wirmpolter! I have the unlock code, but it shows as unlocked, at least I get the dire warning about the device being unsafe on boot. I have the US model, build number MHA-L29 9.0.0.360 (C567), with both Android and EMUI versions listed as 8.0.0.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh...You're already bootloader unlocked that makes it even easier.
I'm using the system.IMG form the thread below this paragraph. Tried a few different aosp ROMs and it seems to be the best so far. Aside from a couple things of course. And the honor 8 Pro is the same CPU, GPU found in the mate 9.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-8-pro/development/rom-t3758564.
In the main post of that thread, just follow step 2 and 3 and you'll be good to go for having an aosp ROM.
As for magisk/root... You can follow my guide below that I posted the other day. Just let the aosp ROM boot up once first. Also I can extract the ramdisk.IMG you'll need if you can't once you check it over.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-9/how-to/guide-install-magisk-mate-9-running-t3773878
Basically in a nutshell to get setup on an aosp ROM is as follows
1 Download the ROM from the first thread i posted
2 Extract the system.img to where your adb folder is
3 Run command prompt from there
4 With your phone powered off. Hold the volume up button and connect it to your computer (fastboot screen)
5 Run command fastboot flash system system.img
6 Then type fastboot reboot but when you goto run this command get ready to hold the volume up button when the screen goes off so you can get the phone into stock recovery
7 Once in the recovery, perform a factory reset
8 Reboot the phone and should be good to go
Need to do first boot on its own before rooting

Thanks!!!
It will be about a week before I can try again but I'm looking forward to it. Are you pretty happy with it?

prestonmcafee said:
Thanks!!!
It will be about a week before I can try again but I'm looking forward to it. Are you pretty happy with it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, fairly happy about it. A few bugs though but nothing major. Get better standby drain and about the same SOT time as EMUI. The only thing that is lacking is the camera in aosp doesn't use both cameras.
There is the stock camera port (works with magisk) but it's lacking a few things like video recording doesn't work... And umm not sure what else.

I needed to install an update, enable developer options and enable OEM unlocking (which was greyed out) before it would install. Here is my earlier post:
Dang, didn't work. Here is what I did.
-reset phone, but did not enable developer options.
-extracted and placed system.img in the minimal fastboot and adb folder. Ran a command prompt with administrative rights (win 10)
-shut off and connected Huawei mate 9 by USB, holding vol up
-vol up brought the EMUI restore screen. Shut off and tried again, same outcome. So shut off and tried vol down, and that brought up the fastboot screen. It reported phone unlocked but FRP locked.
-ran command "fastboot flash system system.img" and get:
target reported max download size of 471859200 bytes
sending sparse 'system' 1/4 (460796 KB)...
OKAY [ 11.167s]
writing 'system' 1/4...
FAILED (remote: Command not allowed)
finished. total time: 11.183s
I suspect this is due to the FRP locked condition.

Now I've run into a different problem: the EMUI screen gives me the options of
Download latest version and recovery
Reboot
Shutdown
It does not give me the option of a factory reset. What seemed to work was holding volume down through a couple of boots, when EMUI gave me the option of a factory reset. This gave me what appears to be a fully functioning system!

prestonmcafee said:
Now I've run into a different problem: the EMUI screen gives me the options of
Download latest version and recovery
Reboot
Shutdown
It does not give me the option of a factory reset. What seemed to work was holding volume down through a couple of boots, when EMUI gave me the option of a factory reset. This gave me what appears to be a fully functioning system!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, the FRP lock would prevent fastboot commands from working.
So, your system is back up and running?

OK, now that I have it up and running, here is the procedure I used, fixing what are either typos or variations because my system was slightly different. I unlocked the bootloader using instructions from:
http://www.teamandroid.com/2017/04/08/huawei-mate-9-unlock-bootloader/
I used Minimal ADB and Fastboot from
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2317790
I downloaded and extracted the system image from the link Wirmpolter provided:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/honor-8-pro/development/rom-t3758564
Here is a slightly edited set of instructions that worked for me:
a. unlock bootloader
b. reset phone
c. enable developer mode (settings/system/about phone tap on build number until developer mode is enabled), enable OEM unlock and USB debugging
d. check that FRP unlock and bootloader unlock worked by booting into fastboot screen (for me, hold VOL DOWN while booting)
1 Download the ROM from the thread above
2 Extract the system.img to where your adb folder is
3 Run command prompt from there (or use MA&F's desktop icon, which does the same thing)
4 With your phone powered off. Hold the volume DOWN button and connect it to your computer (fastboot screen)
5 Run command: fastboot flash system system.img
6 Then type fastboot reboot but when you goto run this command get ready to hold the volume up button when the screen goes off so you can get the phone into stock recovery
7 Once in the recovery, perform a factory reset [eRecovery didn't have this option, so I rebooted a couple of times while holding vol up and it eventually gave me the option to factory reset]
8 Reboot the phone and should be good to go

Up and Running!
Wirmpolter said:
Yeah, the FRP lock would prevent fastboot commands from working.
So, your system is back up and running?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm up and running. Thanks! So far, the only glitches are:
While Android can see and format the SD card (a Samsung 64GB), the SD card is invisible over a USB connection and Google Maps and my music player can't see it. File explorer and copy files to the SD card, so the SD card works.
The camera is terrible, but you have a fix for that.

I'm quite lost about how to install Magisk and a camera module
At the risk of asking too much, I have another request. I'm looking at how to install the stock camera on my Mate 9 with the AOSP, and here is my pathetic understanding of the steps.
First, I looked at your (Wirmpolter) instructions:
1. Install latest Magisk Manager from the Official Thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/app...mless-t3473445
Follow the instructions of "Install Via Magisk Manager" in the main thread, but instead of providing the boot image (which these devices do NOT have), provide the stock ramdisk.img extracted from your Update.app using Huawei Update Extractor.
2. If you are using Mate 9 with model MHA-L29636 running on firmware ending in B362, you can download the stock ramdisk.img I extracted from official OTAs in the attachments
If you have stock ramdisk images for other devices, please share them and I'll add them to the OP.
3. Pull the patched image with adb pull /sdcard/MagiskManager/patched_boot.img, and flash the patched ramdisk via fastboot:
fastboot flash ramdisk patched_boot.img
Reboot and you shall have a properly rooted device passing SafetyNet, start playing with some Magisk modules!
Here are some questions:
1. Huawei update extractor
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2433454
I probably need help using this. The item I need extracted is the update.app, but where do I get the update.app that I extract from? And I'm extracting ramdisk.img?
2. download file for my phone that will be the source of the update.app in #1 (MHA-L29 8.0.0.366(C567)) from FunkyHuawei? Firmware finder? or from the phone itself? (see, I'm pretty lost)
3. install magisk manager (from https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445):
This method does not need root, and also does not require a custom recovery.
However, you MUST have a stock boot image dump beforehand, and you also have to be able to flash the patched boot image, either through fastboot/download mode or ODIN
Install the latest Magisk Manager -- this is an android app? Do I sideload it?
If you're planning to flash the patched boot image through ODIN, go to Settings > Update Settings > Patched Boot Output Format, and select .img.tar. For normal users leave it as the default .img
Press Install > Install > Patch Boot Image File, and select your stock boot image file
Magisk Manager will now patch your boot image, and store it in [Internal Storage]/MagiskManager/patched_boot.img[.tar]
Copy the patched boot image to your PC. If you can't find it via MTP, you can pull the file with ADB:
adb pull /sdcard/MagiskManager/patched_boot.img[.tar]
Flash the patched boot image to your device and reboot. Here is the command if using fastboot:
fastboot flash boot /path/to/patched_boot.img
Magiskmanager is an android app. How do I install on my phone? I was expecting this to be a windows app that would install magisk on my phone, so was thrown when it was an .apk.
Finally, the camera image is here:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=75848917&postcount=2
It isn't clear to me how to flash using Magisk, but perhaps that will be obvious once I have magisk operating.

prestonmcafee said:
1. Huawei update extractor
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2433454
I probably need help using this. The item I need extracted is the update.app, but where do I get the update.app that I extract from? And I'm extracting ramdisk.img?
2. download file for my phone that will be the source of the update.app in #1 (MHA-L29 8.0.0.366(C567)) from FunkyHuawei? Firmware finder? or from the phone itself? (see, I'm pretty lost)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Firmware Finder (they have Windows desktop and Android apps for it, and there's also http://pro-teammt.ru/firmware-database/ which does the job just as well, though it's all in Russian.)
Find the FullOTA-MF firmware that corresponds to your model, download the 'update.zip' that goes with it - on the website, it's under the link 'update' in the same row. If you do it on your phone in the Firmware Finder app, hit "Download" on the relevant detail screen and it'll prompt you for which files you want.
Once you've got the update.zip, extract it, you'll find a file UPDATE.APP, which is what the extractor wants. If it throws up an error, disable CRC checking of the extracted content. (I don't recall what the label for it is and I don't have it installed on the machine in front of me...); and yes, you'll want RAMDISK.img from it.
prestonmcafee said:
3. install magisk manager (from https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445):
Magiskmanager is an android app. How do I install on my phone? I was expecting this to be a windows app that would install magisk on my phone, so was thrown when it was an .apk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Magisk Manager wants to create a patched ramdisk image. When it updates, it'll want to update the ramdisk image on your device (which it'll be able to do since it's running with root privileges itself anyway), but for the first pass, it needs that image provided and for you to manually flash it.

Thanks!
That is perfect. I downloaded the correct file from FF and I will try installing Magisk tomorrow or Sunday.

prestonmcafee said:
That is perfect. I downloaded the correct file from FF and I will try installing Magisk tomorrow or Sunday.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The magisk manager app apk you just run on your phone to install it, no side loading required.

Thanks! Magisk installed! To flash the camera app, I first extract and flash kernel.img from update.app with fastboot, put the camera zip (extract first?) in the magisk folder on the phone to install it with magisk?

That worked
prestonmcafee said:
Thanks! Magisk installed! To flash the camera app, I first extract and flash kernel.img from update.app with fastboot, put the camera zip (extract first?) in the magisk folder on the phone to install it with magisk?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That seems to have worked.

[GUIDE] Getting started - Unlock->TWRP->root->OTA updates

As there seems to be no such guide yet and it took me quite a while to get all this information together, I thought of giving back something by putting information together for others to start.
This guide is meant for the CLT-L29 (dual SIM). Rebranding and switching your CLT-L09 (single SIM) to dual is not subject of this guide and is not adviced.
This is for a Huawei P20 Pro CLT-L29 with factory reset. Please bear with me if there really is a step missing as I try to reproduce this for the documentation with an already bootloader unlocked and previously rooted phone (root should be gone after [factory] resetting via eRecovery).
A collection of all tools used can be found here.
As always, you are doing this on your own risk, no one else can be held responsible for this.
Cheat sheet
eRecovery
The recovery sitting in the "recovery" partition. eRecovery is Huawei's recovery that is able to fix your phone by downloading the latest OTA update via WiFi if you got stuck in a boot loop for several reasons.
To boot into eRecovery:
Power down your phone (if you are stuck in a boot loop simply continue with the next step).
Hold volume up until you end up in eRecovery.
Setup your WiFi access and let it recover your phone.
If unsure, "wipe data/factory reset" to get rid of any leftovers you messed up.
Reboot and be happy that you have not fully bricked your phone.
TWRP
The recovery typically flashed to the "recovery_ramdisk" partition. TeamWin Recovery Project is what you typically use to flash ROMs, to root the phone and to install OTA updates.
Do NOT flash TWRP into "recovery" partition or you will lose eRecovery and the ability to easily recover your semi-bricked phone via WiFi!
To boot into TWRP (once flashed):
Power down your phone (if you are stuck in a boot loop simply continue with the next step).
Hold volume up and power until you end up in TWRP.
Unlock your bootloader
Get your bootloader unlock code from here https://emui.huawei.com/en/unlock_detail (available until mid of July I think). Some report to have to wait 24/48h to get their code via mail, I got mine directly.
Register via mail and do not get confused that you can not select USA or Germany or whatever country, simply use location Hong Kong.
Make sure you select "EMUI above 5.0" when entering your phone data (P20 Pro comes with EMUI 8.x).
Connect your phone via ADB. There are tons of HowTos about this, so I will not be covering this here.
Use Tool All In One to check that you can talk to your device via ADB. It will also help you installing the correct ADB USB drivers.
Unlock your bootloader using Tool All In One.
Reboot back into system.
Flash TWRP
Make sure no lock screen or other locking is set:
"Settings > Security": Remove fingerprint, face or password locking, simply set to none.
Enter developer mode, should already been done for unlocking the bootloader.
Setting > System > Developer options: Disable the display lock.
Download latest ADB & Fastboot as I will continue with the rest on command line.
Verify connection to your phone with "adb devices", this should list your phone.
Reboot into fastboot by using "adb reboot bootloader".
Verify connection to your phone with "fastboot devices", this should list your phone.
Flash TWRP by Pretoriano80 with "fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk twrp_clt_0.1.img". This TWRP is able to access the encrypted internal storage! TWRP is flashed to "recovery_ramdisk". This ensures that you can still access eRecovery if something goes wrong.
Remove the USB cable.
Reboot into TWRP. If you do not boot directly into TWRP the Huawei eRecovery might replace TWRP again. Once you booted into TWRP you are fine for future reboots.
Use "Keep Read Only" for the system partition.
Make a backup!!!
Backup your phone to internal storage (USB stick via USB-OTG adapter failed for me):
Select "Backup".
Tick all partitions (scroll down and tick all).
Swipe to Backup.
Select "Reboot System", "Do Not Install".
Back in Android make a copy of your backup located in your internal storage "/TWRP/" to an external location like your PC. Keep the backup on your phone to be able to go back quickly to this point via TWRP.
Root the stock ROM
Place "Magisk-v16.4-Beta.zip" onto the internal storage.
Power off the phone and remove the USB cable.
Boot into TWRP.
Install root and Magisk Manager:
Select "Install".
Select "Magisk-v16.4-Beta.zip"
Tick "Reboot after installation is complete".
Swipe to confirm Flash.
Select "Do Not Install".
Back in Android start "Magisk Manager" and check that it is green and therefore rooted.
Install an OTA (Over The Air) stock update
PC method
Method involving ADB based on this guide.
First make sure no OTA update gets installed automatically as this will end up in booting into TWRP and failing with the update.
Go to "Settings > System > System Update".
Open the three dots menu on the top right and select "Update Settings".
Disable automatic update download via WiFi as once updates are downloaded the phone will bug you to update and maybe tries to update itself during the night!
Start in Android but do not download the OTA update yet.
Verify connection to your phone with "adb devices", this should list your phone.
Reboot into fastboot by using "adb reboot bootloader".
Verify connection to your phone with "fastboot devices", this should list your phone.
Flash "recovery_ramdisk_nocheckP20.img" with "fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk recovery_ramdisk_nocheckP20.img". For official OTA updates that you would regularly get, the "nocheck" feature should not be needed but does not harm. This will remove TWRP and you have to flash it again after the OTA update has finished.
Reboot into Android by using "fastboot reboot".
Remove the USB cable.
Download your OTA update via "Settings > System > System Update".
Let the phone reboot to install the OTA update and follow the update until you are back in Android with your new firmware version.
Install TWRP and root again.
Standalone method
Deprecated/wrong method based on this guide.
Read first!!!
While this method should do no harm it will only ever update to CLT-L29 8.1.0.128a(C432) [hw/eu] as this is what is inside the file "update.zip" that you can currently download and that gets installed by "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip" in the same folder. This was not clearly explained in the source thread, therefore sorry about this wrong information. If you intend to update to this stock ROM continue, otherwise use the "PC method".
I will check about the best way to install OTA updates without PC interaction in the next couple of days (currently waiting for 130+ getting rolled out for me for some investigations regarding the OTA process).
First make sure no OTA update gets installed automatically as this will end up in booting into TWRP and failing with the update.
Go to "Settings > System > System Update".
Open the three dots menu on the top right and select "Update Settings".
Disable automatic update download via WiFi as once updates are downloaded the phone will bug you to update and maybe tries to update itself during the night!
Place the following files into a folder on the internal storage (for sure not all are required but this is part of the little information not clear right now):
"HuRUpdater_0.3.zip"
"recovery.img"
"update.zip"
"update_all_hw.zip"
"update_data_public.zip"
Go to "Settings > System > System Update" and check for an update.
Download the OTA update.
Do not reboot when prompted.
Make sure no lock screen or other locking is set:
"Settings > Security": Remove fingerprint, face or password locking, simply set to none.
Enter developer mode, should already been done for unlocking the bootloader.
Setting > System > Developer options: Disable the display lock.
Power down the phone.
Boot into TWRP.
Install "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip". Do not get irritated if it tells you it is for CLT-L09 instead of CLT-L29, everything is fine.
Wipe dalvik cache before rebooting.
Reboot back into Android.
Check "Magisk Manager" to see if root got removed. TWRP might get removed as well. If TWRP or root got removed, repeat the install for one or both like before.
In my case only root got removed but TWRP was kept functional. If this is the case for you as well, simply flash "Magisk-v16.4-Beta.zip" via TWRP again.
Changelog
2018-06-21
Updated/corrected wrong information collected about installing OTA updates standalone (without PC). Until further notice use the PC method.

Great post. Thank you

Very good post!
Thank you to collect all this important info!
[emoji481]
P20 Pro & Tapatalk

can i use your step above to rebranding from L29c636 to l29c432? Thanks

Barcovn said:
can i use your step above to rebranding from L29c636 to l29c432? Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure, not tested and not topic of this thread.
For my understanding, why do you want to rebrand it to C432 which is the region code as far as I understand.
Is there a BIG benefit of getting OTA updates earlier or why do you want to mess around with it ?

Xcelsior said:
Not sure, not tested and not topic of this thread.
For my understanding, why do you want to rebrand it to C432 which is the region code as far as I understand.
Is there a BIG benefit of getting OTA updates earlier or why do you want to mess around with it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, i mean change the region code. as i use the p20 pro since April, newer firmware ususal fix/improve performance for phone or camera. however it seem the c636 update is much slower then C432. currently i have problem with facebook lagging which inhope newer firmware fix it

This is good! I'll sticky it when I get a chance later tonight. I'm mobile atm

Maybe I'm missing something.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/hu...de-how-to-root-debrand-remove-retail-t3788326
It's been here for some time.
Nothing wrong with your guide it's decent but the info provided is actually already here mate.
Root, twrp, de-brand, OTA, it's all there

dladz said:
Maybe I'm missing something.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/hu...de-how-to-root-debrand-remove-retail-t3788326
It's been here for some time.
Nothing wrong with your guide it's decent but the info provided is actually already here mate.
Root, twrp, de-brand, OTA, it's all there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're a bit different. The debrand thread is obviously good but much more specific to debranding. This is a more generic for general How-To's

dladz said:
Maybe I'm missing something.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/hu...de-how-to-root-debrand-remove-retail-t3788326
It's been here for some time.
Nothing wrong with your guide it's decent but the info provided is actually already here mate.
Root, twrp, de-brand, OTA, it's all there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was reading this one as well but like matt4321 already said, it is actually for a different purpose.
And even the "ROOT ONLY" instructions are either widespread over the whole P20 Pro forum, incomplete or even outdated:
Linking to other threads with endless, partly revised instructions (on page n of the thread).
Referring to wrong official TWRP that can not use internal storage.
Hard to understand for beginners on this device (not even talking about someone who is entirely new to all of this).
Missing steps or expecting that you have already successfully flashed your first ROM (talking about advanced things like rebranding).
Don't get me wong, I am used to read a lot when it comes to custom ROMs (if you check the old part of my signature you can see that I am not actually a newbie here and my roots actually reach back to when all of the Android stuff startet at all, back when XDAs flashed HTC HD2 WinMo to Android). However I really missed a guide that actually collects all the basic information for beginners without going off roads too early.

These are more or less the steps I'm used to when I owned my nexus phones.
I have some questions:
If I root my phone and install, let's say adaway, will I be able to receive OTA? Or I will have to flash a new image manually?
If after root I relock bootloader, will I be able to unlock it again later for further modding?
This method implies that I can return to stock anytime and relock bootloader?
Thanks for the guide and answers , great job

mangusZen said:
If I root my phone and install, let's say adaway, will I be able to receive OTA? Or I will have to flash a new image manually?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, exactly what I am doing. I need root for some apps and besides that I am happy with the stock OTA ROM, at least for the moment. OTA updates work fine so far.
The only thing as explained in my guide is that OTA updates will fail as they boot into TWRP instead of original fastboot. Therefore you need to explicitly boot into TWRP and install the downloaded OTA update with "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip".
mangusZen said:
If after root I relock bootloader, will I be able to unlock it again later for further modding?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I have read so far re-locking your bootloader is not advised. You seem to be unable to unlock it again or at least need to request another unlock code from Huawei.
At least this is my understanding of the situation so far.
mangusZen said:
This method implies that I can return to stock anytime and relock bootloader?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Returning to stock is even easier if you keep eRecovery working as explained in the guide (flashing TWRP only to recovery_ramdisk partition). With eRecovery you can wipe TWRP and root and let eRecovery download and install the latest official stock ROM.
Regarding the bootloader re-locking, see my answer above.

Xcelsior said:
Yes, exactly what I am doing. I need root for some apps and besides that I am happy with the stock OTA ROM, at least for the moment. OTA updates work fine so far.
The only thing as explained in my guide is that OTA updates will fail as they boot into TWRP instead of original fastboot. Therefore you need to explicitly boot into TWRP and install the downloaded OTA update with "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip".
From what I have read so far re-locking your bootloader is not advised. You seem to be unable to unlock it again or at least need to request another unlock code from Huawei.
At least this is my understanding of the situation so far.
Returning to stock is even easier if you keep eRecovery working as explained in the guide (flashing TWRP only to recovery_ramdisk partition). With eRecovery you can wipe TWRP and root and let eRecovery download and install the latest official stock ROM.
Regarding the bootloader re-locking, see my answer above.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, so to install OTA I have to use hurupdater method and flash the OTA package manually.
For what I read and understood, but I may be wrong, the problem with relocking bootloader is encountered by who used the funkyhuawei method, that alters bootloader in some way, especially to achive the mono sim - dual sim switch.
With this you cant for now re unlock the bootloader again.
But I could be wrong and be like that for everyone, will see if someone will come up with some clarifications.
It would be nice to have the ability to return to stock, lock bootloader and use warranty
[emoji14]
Thanks for your work and answers

mangusZen said:
Ok, so to install OTA I have to use hurupdater method and flash the OTA package manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, that is basically what "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip" will do, it will flash/install an OTA update that has previously been downloaded.
Wipe cache afterwards and be happy with your new up to date stock ROM version.

Xcelsior said:
Yes, that is basically what "HuRUpdater_0.3.zip" will do, it will flash/install an OTA update that has previously been downloaded.
Wipe cache afterwards and be happy with your new up to date stock ROM version.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to rename the downloaded OTA packages for huru to work, right?

mangusZen said:
I have to rename the downloaded OTA packages for huru to work, right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not for me. Just downloaded the OTA update via the EMUI system menu in Android, rebooted into TWRP and installed (aka executed) HuRu.
HuRu did the rest for me.
Tested with 120 -> 128 OTA update.

Hi It is late at night and I am not sure if I typed fastboot flash recovery twrp_clt_0.1.img instead off fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk twrp_clt_0.1.img. How can I make sure I still have erecovery? super newbie to android rooting, please help Thank you

Amowiel said:
Hi It is late at night and I am not sure if I typed fastboot flash recovery twrp_clt_0.1.img instead off fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk twrp_clt_0.1.img. How can I make sure I still have erecovery? super newbie to android rooting, please help Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Simplest way would be to try to boot into eRocovery:
Power off the phone.
Power on the phone until you see the "you are a baddy because you unlocked your bootloader" screen.
Hold volume up (you can already hold it when powering on the phone) until you end up in eRecovery or TWRP.
If you end up in TWRP it should still be possible to recover your eRecovery with a proper backup of the "recovery" partition from any other P20 Pro.

Xcelsior said:
Simplest way would be to try to boot into eRocovery:
Power off the phone.
Power on the phone until you see the "you are a baddy because you unlocked your bootloader" screen.
Hold volume up (you can already hold it when powering on the phone) until you end up in eRecovery or TWRP.
If you end up in TWRP it should still be possible to recover your eRecovery with a proper backup of the "recovery" partition from any other P20 Pro.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank you so much for such a quick reply, can confirm that my brain was not so fried and I didn't wipe my ercovery
thank you for your amazing guide, everything worked perfectly

mangusZen said:
Ok, so to install OTA I have to use hurupdater method and flash the OTA package manually.
For what I read and understood, but I may be wrong, the problem with relocking bootloader is encountered by who used the funkyhuawei method, that alters bootloader in some way, especially to achive the mono sim - dual sim switch.
With this you cant for now re unlock the bootloader again.
But I could be wrong and be like that for everyone, will see if someone will come up with some clarifications.
It would be nice to have the ability to return to stock, lock bootloader and use warranty
[emoji14]
Thanks for your work and answers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually you don't in some cases, if your simply rooted with twrp and you want to install an OTA that's been advertised to your device. All you need to do is install the nocheck recovery IMG and then take the update, reinstall twrp and magisk after the update and you're done.
If it's an update that's not advertised to your device yet then hur updater is the way.

The Complete Pixel 3 How-To Guide (newbie friendly!)

There's a ton of information out there, but finding it can sometimes be a challenge, especially for a newbie. And then there's posts to read through, in case a process has changed and it's only talked about in a single place, buried any number of pages back. So this is my attempt to put all Pixel 3 how-to's into a single thread. Everything below is what worked for me, from start to finish, with a fresh phone directly from Google that was bootloader-locked, unrooted, and running stock Android. Comments are welcome and encouraged: if something doesn't work for you, or you have a better/quicker/more reliable way of doing something, or maybe I made a mistake...let me know!
A few things:
Everything in this guide was tested on a "regular" Pixel 3 (blueline). It should all work exactly the same on a Pixel 3 XL (crosshatch), as long as you download the appropriate files (specifically the factory/OTA images and TWRP). I'm posting this in both blueline and crosshatch forums.
This first post will have links to files and the tools you need, as well as general things (like how to enable debugging and boot into recovery). The second post has how-to's for the big stuff (flashing images, TWRP, unlocking, etc).
I'm not responsible for anything you do. Follow these guides at your own risk. Doing so may also void your warranty.
Files and URLs
Official Android files
Factory (wipes device and requires unlocked bootloader): https://developers.google.com/android/images
Full OTA (leaves data intact, can be done via ADB sideload): https://developers.google.com/android/ota
Preview/beta OTA: https://developer.android.com/preview/download-ota.html
TWRP
XDA thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-3-xl/development/twrp-3-2-3-0-pixel-3-xl-t3861623
Download: https://dl.twrp.me/crosshatch/
Magisk
XDA thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
ADB and Fastboot
Google USB drivers: https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb
SDK platform tools: https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools
Download the ZIP and open (no need to extract the whole thing)
Copy the files below to their own directory (you will use this directory for all ADB/Fastboot commands):
adb.exe
AdbWinApi.dll
AdbWinUsbApi.dll
fastboot.exe
General
Enable USB debugging
Download Google USB drivers (see above)
Download SDK platform tools and copy required files to their own directory (see above)
Enable USB debugging (Settings > About > tap Build 7 times > back > Developer options)
Plug phone into computer and when "Allow USB debugging" box comes up, check the box and allow (may need to have adb daemon running on the computer already, see below)
Fastboot mode (using hardware keys) aka bootloader
Power off
Hold VOL- and press/hold PWR until bootloader (fastboot) comes up
Recovery mode (using hardware keys)
Get into Fastboot mode (see above)
Use VOL buttons to find Recovery in the list, use PWR to select (should boot to broken android image)
Hold PWR and press VOL+ once to get into recovery
Useful ADB and Fastboot commands
Enable USB debugging (see above)
ADB (used while phone is "on" and booted up):
Use "adb devices" to ensure the computer is authorized
Use "adb reboot bootloader" to get into Fastboot
Fastboot mode
Use "fastboot devices" to verify computer can see your phone

Update #1: Items below marked through were removed since they don't really apply to Android 10.
Update #2: Edited to reflect changes in root with Android 11.
A quick note: everything below is assuming you're using Windows 10. When it says "Type...", this assumes you've opened a command window in the location of adb/fastboot and that all files referenced are in the same directory and (in some cases) renamed as I reference them (short names without spaces simplifies things). If you're using Powershell, you will probably need to change "adb" and "fastboot" to read ".\adb" and ".\fastboot" so Powershell will use the local files.
Unlocking the bootloader
THIS WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE, SO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS BACKED UP!
In Developer Options, enable OEM unlocking and confirm (it may ask you to input fingerprint or PIN/pattern/password)
Boot into Fastboot mode (see above)
Type to unlock:
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock
Use VOL+ key to get the options on the screen to read "Unlock the bootloader" and use PWR button to select
Type to reboot:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Locking the bootloader
THIS WILL WIPE YOUR PHONE, SO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS BACKED UP!
Boot into Fastboot mode (see above)
IMPORTANT: restore stock recovery if you replaced it with TWRP (this should prevent the "Can't find valid operating system" issue)
Type to lock:
Code:
fastboot flashing lock
Use VOL buttons to find "Lock the bootloader" and use PWR to select
Type to reboot:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Factory reset via fastboot (can also do this without wiping data)
THIS COULD WIPE YOUR PHONE, SO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING IS BACKED UP!
Download factory image ZIP and unzip all files into their own folder
Unlock bootloader (see above)
Reboot into Fastboot mode
You have 2 options:
Register the location of fastboot.exe with the PATH system variable and run "flash-all.bat"
Wipe data: just run "flash-all.bat" and call it a day
Do not wipe data: open "flash-all.bat" in a text editor (careful not to double-click and run it!), remove the "-w" from the last line to disable the wiping of data, then save, close, and run
Move the 3 files (bootloader IMG, radio IMG, image ZIP) into the ADB folder, rename for simplicity if you want, launch cmd or Powershell, and run the commands below (which come from "flash-all.bat")
Wipe data: type out commands below, but at last line, add "-w" flag: fastboot -w update image.zip
Do not wipe data: type out commands below as written (no "-w" flag)
The commands:
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader-blueline-XXXX.img
fastboot reboot bootloader
[wait for reboot]
fastboot flash radio radio-blueline-XXXX.img
fastboot reboot bootloader
[wait for reboot]
fastboot update image-blueline-XXXX.zip
Note: The last command (update image) will launch the red "fastbootd" screen, so don't worry and be patient while the command line tells you what's happening. The phone will reboot on its own into the Android system (not fastboot) afterward.
Root Android 10+ using Magisk (Canary channel)
This must be done after every update, and you cannot use the patched file from a different phone!
Unlock bootloader (see above)
Download factory image (not OTA, see link above)
Download and install Magisk Manager Canary (see link above)
In Magisk Manager settings, set Update Channel to "Canary"
Extract boot.img from image-blueline-XXXX.zip found in the factory image you downloaded
Place boot.img on your phone's internal storage
Open Magisk Manager and do:
tap "Install" button (next to "Magisk" in first block on the main screen)
"Select and Patch a File" option
Find boot.img file you just placed on your phone
tap "Let's Go"
When finished, move the newly-created magisk_patched.img file over to your computer's ADB directory
Reboot into bootloader
Type:
Code:
fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img
fastboot reboot
Open up Magisk Manager and make sure everything's good!
Note : if you get stuck in fastboot mode or in a boot loop, flash the stock boot.img to both slots and try again
Code:
fastboot flash boot boot.img --slot all
Optional:
for adblocking, tap "Systemless hosts" in Magisk Manager, then install AdAway using F-Droid
install a performance kernel like Kirisakura for Bluecross (R)
Updating Android 10+ while rooted
You can't take an OTA while rooted, so updating Android 10+ (as in monthly updates) can be one of two ways.
Method #1 (faster, but more chance for issues)
Download OTA ZIP and move it to ADB folder (don't unzip it)
This does not require an unlocked bootloader, but does require USB debugging (see above)
Get boot.img from the factory image (see first post on where to download this) and place your ADB directory
Reboot into bootloader / fastboot and type to restore stock boot to both slots:
Code:
fastboot flash boot --slot all boot.img
fastboot reboot bootloader
[wait for reboot]
Use VOL buttons to select "Apply update from ADB"
Type (where filename is the name of the file you want to sideload):
Code:
adb sideload filename.zip
Wait for it to finish, will take you back to Recovery when it's done
Reboot using menu
Method #2 (takes longer, but best bet for minimal issues)
Follow "Factory reset via fastboot" instructions (see above, make sure you don't wipe your data!)
Take the OTA in the official way (through Android)
Follow "Root Android 10+ using Magisk Canary" instructions (see above)
Boot into TWRP (3.3.0-0 or higher)
Download TWRP IMG and place in ADB folder (rename the file to twrp.img)
If not already done, unlock the bootloader (see above)
Reboot into bootloader
Type to boot TWRP (it will restart and should boot into TWRP):
Code:
fastboot boot twrp.img
OPTIONAL: Replace recovery by installing TWRP
Your phone should automatically mount, so move twrp.img from PC to Download folder on phone's internal storage
Advanced > Install Recovery Ramdisk > choose TWRP IMG > Swipe to install
Back > Fix Recovery Bootloop > Reboot System > Do Not Install when asked if TWRP should install app
Root using Magisk (18.1 or higher)
Download Magisk ZIP and move to device
Boot into TWRP (see above)
Enter your PIN/pattern/password to decrypt (unnecessary if you are not using security on your phone)
Swipe to Allow Modifications (to system)
Install > find and select the Magisk ZIP > Slide to install
Wipe cache > Reboot system > Do Not Install when asked if TWRP should install app
Open Magisk Manager to verify latest and to install modules
"Can't find valid operating system" booting issue
Unlock your bootloader again (see above)
Follow steps for "Factory reset via fastboot" (see above) and keep the wipe flag
After it reboots, power off (press PWR and select "Power off" from menu)
Follow steps for "Locking the bootloader" (see above)
After it reboots into Fastboot mode, have it start using the PWR button
Android Recovery / "Cannot load Android system" booting issue
This can happen for a number of reasons, but the fix is the same: "Factory reset via fastboot" (see above). You probably do not need to wipe user data, so you can omit the "-w" flag.
If you still get the error message, select the "Try again" option. If it still doesn't work, try "Factory reset via fastboot" again, as well as "Try again". If it doesn't work this time, you probably have no choice but to do a factory reset (in which you will definitely lose your data).
If it happens after flashing Magisk in TWRP, though, you've got a slightly different issue and the problem will persist no matter how many times you flash the factory images and re-install Magisk. This is probably due to something leftover in the previous Magisk installation that conflicts with the new installation. There are two ways to handle this.
First and easiest: uninstall Magisk Manager app before rebooting into the bootloader and running fastboot commands. Then proceed as usual (sideload OTA or flash factory images via fastboot, boot TWRP, and flash Magisk). All guides for this are above. This method preserves any modules you have installed.
Second and more complete (if the above method still gives you trouble):
download to your phone the Magisk ZIP, Magisk Uninstaller ZIP, and Magisk APK from this XDA thread
uninstall the Magisk Manager app
reboot to bootloader
using fastboot, boot into TWRP using IMG (you don't need to replace boot with TWRP)
flash Magisk Uninstaller ZIP
wipe Dalvik
flash Magisk ZIP
wipe Dalvik
reboot system (do not install TWRP)
install Magisk Manager APK and re-install any modules

I just have a couple questions pls-
1) Do the above instructions work on the Verizon Pixel 3 XL
2) I'm currently runned the official Android Q Beta (April 5). Do I need to leave the beta, then restore back to stock Android P (and do I do all those updates before starting root instructions)?

Should I be concerned if my phone hasn't informed me of an April update?
I don't remember if I unlocked the bootloader before or after the updates to the March security update. Does it matter?

farfegnugen said:
I just have a couple questions pls-
1) Do the above instructions work on the Verizon Pixel 3 XL
2) I'm currently runned the official Android Q Beta (April 5). Do I need to leave the beta, then restore back to stock Android P (and do I do all those updates before starting root instructions)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your bootoader Locked or Unlocked?
---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:07 AM ----------
mcwups1 said:
Should I be concerned if my phone hasn't informed me of an April update?
I don't remember if I unlocked the bootloader before or after the updates to the March security update. Does it matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it does NOT matter which build you unlocked your BL
*edit*
Try to go into settings and force the update or you can always flash the entire factory img for april

farfegnugen said:
I just have a couple questions pls-
1) Do the above instructions work on the Verizon Pixel 3 XL
2) I'm currently runned the official Android Q Beta (April 5). Do I need to leave the beta, then restore back to stock Android P (and do I do all those updates before starting root instructions)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1.) If you somehow have an unlocked bootloader, yes, it would work for the Verizon Pixel 3 XL. However, I was under the impression that Google will not unlock the BL for the Verizon variant and there is currently no way to "hack" it.
2.) It should work the same whether you're on P or Q, though if you want to remain with Q, make sure you download the beta files directly from Google (rather than the P images) and use Magisk 19.0 instead of 18.1.
mcwups1 said:
Should I be concerned if my phone hasn't informed me of an April update?
I don't remember if I unlocked the bootloader before or after the updates to the March security update. Does it matter?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can force it to check for updates; when you unlocked the BL shouldn't matter if you're using a patched boot image.

HACK3DANDR0ID said:
Is your bootoader Locked or Unlocked?
---------- Post added at 08:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:07 AM ----------
No it does NOT matter which build you unlocked your BL
*edit*
Try to go into settings and force the update or you can always flash the entire factory img for april
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't done anything to the phone since I got it 3 weeks ago but hoping to. Can the VZ version be unlocked? If so please point me in the right direction.

farfegnugen said:
I haven't done anything to the phone since I got it 3 weeks ago but hoping to. Can the VZ version be unlocked? If so please point me in the right direction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, but they working on finding a way to unlock it: [Bounty] Unlock Bootloader VZW Pixel 3 XL by coolhandz

Homeboy76 said:
No, but they working on finding a way to unlock it: [Bounty] Unlock Bootloader VZW Pixel 3 XL by coolhandz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for the info! Its difficult trying to find the current status of all the diff devices' root statuses.

Thanks for this guide, when using the flash-all.bat and wiping the device will this method flash to both slots?

CadTechBGMC said:
Thanks for this guide, when using the flash-all.bat and wiping the device will this method flash to both slots?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, if you are flashing with wipe all option (without removing -w) it does flash to both slots.

Regarding getting to fastboot:
Since I have flashed April security update and after lightly bricking my Pixel 3Xl, (I have not lost data but I was unable to boot till solving the brick), the phone doesn't stay in fastboot when I use the adb command to get into it and all I can do to get to stay in fastboot is the power and volume down combo for more than 40 seconds.
I have my pixel working perfectly with root and kirisakura kernel but it is a bit of a pain getting to boot TWRP from fastboot for flashing stuff.

EMJI79 said:
Regarding getting to fastboot:
Since I have flashed April security update and after lightly bricking my Pixel 3Xl, (I have not lost data but I was unable to boot till solving the brick), the phone doesn't stay in fastboot when I use the adb command to get into it and all I can do to get to stay in fastboot is the power and volume down combo for more than 40 seconds.
I have my pixel working perfectly with root and kirisakura kernel but it is a bit of a pain getting to boot TWRP from fastboot for flashing stuff.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah if i try to get into fastboot directly from a power on state it doesn't stick on fastboot blinks for a second and then starts with reboot process, probably we are pressing it too long.
what i do normally is to power off the device first wait for few seconds then then use key combination to get it to fastboot from power-off state. Booting from fastboot to twrp never had any issues unless i had messed up the twrp installation due to some mess i did.

SacredDeviL666 said:
yeah if i try to get into fastboot directly from a power on state it doesn't stick on fastboot blinks for a second and then starts with reboot process, probably we are pressing it too long.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to press the keys 40 seconds even from power off.

EMJI79 said:
I have to press the keys 40 seconds even from power off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
definitely not 40seconds from power off state for me. not sure whats happening there

Maybe a short video would be a help to some of us newbies

Dumb question. Probably gonna upgrade from an original Pixel XL soon. As long as I buy it from store.google.com, I should be able to unlock the bootloader without worrying about a crack/hack, correct? Thanks!

Drashnar said:
Dumb question. Probably gonna upgrade from an original Pixel XL soon. As long as I buy it from store.google.com, I should be able to unlock the bootloader without worrying about a crack/hack, correct? Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is correct. I made the same switch from an OG Pixel and Pixel XL to P3 and P3XL right after release. Unlock the bootloader before you mess around a lot since it will do a factory reset.

How about backups? Does anyone backup and restore, or not?
If so, how do you do it with this 2 partition system?

installed and I like it. I cant get the clock off the lock screen. all settings says it is off.
wished it had MicroG installed instead of gapps

How to root Ulefone Armor 11 5G

I'm pleased to report I've successfully done systemless root with MAGISK on the Ulefone Armor 11 5G. Turns out the process is nearly identical to the Armor 10.
Most of the information I found on this thread
First of all you need to unlock the bootloader, you can found how to do it on my previous post. Unlocking the bootloader will erase all of your data and will probably void your garanties.
I'm not responsable of any damage your phone can receive doing this procedure.
After unlocking the bootloader, everytime you switch on the phone there will be a message informing you that the bootloader is unlocked and so the phone not safe anymore.
Assuming you have done it without problem you need:
- The latest SDK Platform Tools to download Adb and Fastboot. Remember that are command line software, so the run only through command prompt
- The latest version of Magisk, in this moment is the 22.1.
- The USB driver, but you should already have downloaded it to unlock bootloader
- The latest ROM version, that you can download from Ulefone Site, here the UE and Not-UE version
- A copy of vbmeta_null.img as found here. VERY IMPORTANT
Let's start rooting your phone.
- Extract boot.img from the ROM and copy it on your phone in a directory you can easily remember (i.e. Download, Bluetooth...)
- Download or copy Magisk on the phone and install it. If it ask to install from unknown source accept it.
- Open Magisk app and choose Install Magisk NOT the App. When prompted for the method, choose "Select and patch a file". It will ask you to indicate where you have stored the copy of boot.img that you have previously stored on the phone. It will produce a file magisk_patched_xxxxx.img where xxxxx is a casual number.
- Copy magisk_patched_xxxxx.img on your PC, I will suggest the same location of Adb
- Now you have to reboot in bootloader mode by opening command prompt in adb location and run:
adb reboot bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- When done verify the connection with the phone:
fastboot devices
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have received a positive answer we can go further otherwise check that you have the right driver installed.
- Let's assume you have received a positive answer. Now you have to disable the safety check of the boot.img otherwise you will have a bootloop:
fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta_null.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you receive a positive answer we can go to next step
- Install patched Boot Image:
fastboot flash boot magisk_patched_xxxxx.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
naturally, replace the X's with whatever string of characters Magisk supplied
- Assuming everything went good you can reboot your phone:
fastboot reboot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Done now your phone should be now rooted.
Enjoy.
Have fun

Thanks for this, I was missing the vbmeta_null.img and was getting a boot cycle. Works perfectly.

Harlock1978 said:
I'm pleased to report I've successfully done systemless root with MAGISK on the Ulefone Armor 11 5G. Turns out the process is nearly identical to the Armor 10.
Most of the information I found on this thread
First of all you need to unlock the bootloader, you can found how to do it on my previous post. Unlocking the bootloader will erase all of your data and will probably void your garanties.
I'm not responsable of any damage your phone can receive doing this procedure.
After unlocking the bootloader, everytime you switch on the phone there will be a message informing you that the bootloader is unlocked and so the phone not safe anymore.
Assuming you have done it without problem you need:
- The latest SDK Platform Tools to download Adb and Fastboot. Remember that are command line software, so the run only through command prompt
- The latest version of Magisk, in this moment is the 22.1.
- The USB driver, but you should already have downloaded it to unlock bootloader
- The latest ROM version, that you can download from Ulefone Site, here the UE and Not-UE version
- A copy of vbmeta_null.img as found here. VERY IMPORTANT
Let's start rooting your phone.
- Extract boot.img from the ROM and copy it on your phone in a directory you can easily remember (i.e. Download, Bluetooth...)
- Download or copy Magisk on the phone and install it. If it ask to install from unknown source accept it.
- Open Magisk app and choose Install Magisk NOT the App. When prompted for the method, choose "Select and patch a file". It will ask you to indicate where you have stored the copy of boot.img that you have previously stored on the phone. It will produce a file magisk_patched_xxxxx.img where xxxxx is a casual number.
- Copy magisk_patched_xxxxx.img on your PC, I will suggest the same location of Adb
- Now you have to reboot in bootloader mode by opening command prompt in adb location and run:
- When done verify the connection with the phone:
If you have received a positive answer we can go further otherwise check that you have the right driver installed.
- Let's assume you have received a positive answer. Now you have to disable the safety check of the boot.img otherwise you will have a bootloop:
If you receive a positive answer we can go to next step
- Install patched Boot Image:
naturally, replace the X's with whatever string of characters Magisk supplied
- Assuming everything went good you can reboot your phone:
Done now your phone should be now rooted.
Enjoy.
Have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

it works for me ... thanks!!!!

They will release an update with Android 11 for Armor 11 this summer, should i wait for that or is it just to root on? Sincerly the n00b

morwlin said:
They will release an update with Android 11 for Armor 11 this summer, should i wait for that or is it just to root on? Sincerly the n00b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you update to android11. What are your findings? Android 11 good? bugs?

So let's say I tried the steps above and I somehow ended in a boot loop. For reference, I removed the OS and had TWRP Recovery installed. I restarted while on TWRP Recovery from the phone and I been stuck on Boot Loop since. For whatever reason, for the life of me, I can't remove the battery or figure out how to enter Recovery Mode (I tried so many combinations).
Anyone know how to get into Recovery Mode or find a way to get out of this boot loop? =(
PS: These were the last steps I did:
1) adb reboot-fastboot
2) --- Reboot to bootloader
3) fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta_null.img
4) fastboot flash recovery recovery.img (The TWRP img)
5) fastboot flashing unlock
6) - Reboot from TWRP on phone after browsing around

dummiedroid said:
So let's say I tried the steps above and I somehow ended in a boot loop. For reference, I removed the OS and had TWRP Recovery installed. I restarted while on TWRP Recovery from the phone and I been stuck on Boot Loop since. For whatever reason, for the life of me, I can't remove the battery or figure out how to enter Recovery Mode (I tried so many combinations).
Anyone know how to get into Recovery Mode or find a way to get out of this boot loop? =(
PS: These were the last steps I did:
1) adb reboot-fastboot
2) --- Reboot to bootloader
3) fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta_null.img
4) fastboot flash recovery recovery.img (The TWRP img)
5) fastboot flashing unlock
6) - Reboot from TWRP on phone after browsing around
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well since this post, I just basically let my phone battery die. With a clear mind, and some help from here (https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...h-stock-unlock-boot-loader-root-twrp.4297803/) I was able to save the phone (yay!).
I got the ROM and MPD from here: https://www.ulefone.com/support/software-download.html which lead me to their drive for Ulefone Armor 11 5G here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12N1nQVACM4noSO4klyrOk0-sfEnTWMRN
1) Download ROM, SP_MDT_AFterSale_20.32.rar and PDF (RAR and PDF in the "Upgrade tools and USB driver" folder)
2) Follow the steps on the PDF which basically said to scan the port, add the scatter file then start the update. (Read full PDF before trying it)
Hopefully if anyone is frustrated out there, this helps. (I know I was not thinking rationally... lol)
PS: The drive said it might brick your phone with Android 11 but mine worked with Android 11. No issues. So good luck!

Harlock1978 said:
I'm pleased to report I've successfully done systemless root with MAGISK on the Ulefone Armor 11 5G. Turns out the process is nearly identical to the Armor 10.
Most of the information I found on this thread
First of all you need to unlock the bootloader, you can found how to do it on my previous post. Unlocking the bootloader will erase all of your data and will probably void your garanties.
I'm not responsable of any damage your phone can receive doing this procedure.
After unlocking the bootloader, everytime you switch on the phone there will be a message informing you that the bootloader is unlocked and so the phone not safe anymore.
Assuming you have done it without problem you need:
- The latest SDK Platform Tools to download Adb and Fastboot. Remember that are command line software, so the run only through command prompt
- The latest version of Magisk, in this moment is the 22.1.
- The USB driver, but you should already have downloaded it to unlock bootloader
- The latest ROM version, that you can download from Ulefone Site, here the UE and Not-UE version
- A copy of vbmeta_null.img as found here. VERY IMPORTANT
Let's start rooting your phone.
- Extract boot.img from the ROM and copy it on your phone in a directory you can easily remember (i.e. Download, Bluetooth...)
- Download or copy Magisk on the phone and install it. If it ask to install from unknown source accept it.
- Open Magisk app and choose Install Magisk NOT the App. When prompted for the method, choose "Select and patch a file". It will ask you to indicate where you have stored the copy of boot.img that you have previously stored on the phone. It will produce a file magisk_patched_xxxxx.img where xxxxx is a casual number.
- Copy magisk_patched_xxxxx.img on your PC, I will suggest the same location of Adb
- Now you have to reboot in bootloader mode by opening command prompt in adb location and run:
- When done verify the connection with the phone:
If you have received a positive answer we can go further otherwise check that you have the right driver installed.
- Let's assume you have received a positive answer. Now you have to disable the safety check of the boot.img otherwise you will have a bootloop:
If you receive a positive answer we can go to next step
- Install patched Boot Image:
naturally, replace the X's with whatever string of characters Magisk supplied
- Assuming everything went good you can reboot your phone:
Done now your phone should be now rooted.
Enjoy.
Have fun
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, does the VBmeta work for all models? I am trying to root my Ulefone Power Armor 13.

It should, because iy's an empty file.

Harlock1978 said:
It should, because iy's an empty file.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just tried it and it works great! Any idea anyone where I can get TWRP for Ulefone Armor 13? This phone has the recovery in the boot partition

Will this work with Android 11?

I forgot to update my progress. Works great on R (11) so far. Lots of modules seem to be updated too. I am considering using a custom ROM and finally disconnecting from GMS though I would like to retain the customised camera app for,the night vision. I will find a thread that might have a way to do this though if anyone here can help me or point me to the right place, would be much abliged. Also, any ROM recommendations, that are working best?

[Guide] TWRP and ROOT for A20e (A202f) [Updated]

My way of installing TWRP and ROOT on A20e (only tested on a202f).
Everything is working both on TWRP and MAGISK.
Versions:
-Magisk (v26.1)
-MagiskManager (v26.1)
-TWRP (3.6.1_9.0)
_________________________________________________
Download attached files:
-TWRP and ROOT(magisk) Odin is included!
_________________________________________________
#Factory reset is recommended!
#Make sure BOOTLOADER is unlocked!
#If you don't need MAGISK stop at step 6 and reboot to system
[TWRP Installation]
1. Extract required files, open ODIN (as Administrator) click on the "AP" button and choose TWRP-3.6.1_9.0.tar file.
2. In the "Options" menu untick "Auto-Reboot" .
3. On your phone boot into the "Download Mode" then in ODIN you can press the START button. (make sure you are connected to PC)
4. If everything is fine there should be green "PASS!" text in ODIN.
[ If your flashing failed make sure the bootloader is unlocked and check if cable is properly connected ]
[Don't let the phone boot into system because it will replace TWRP with stock recovery.img]
6. Boot into TWRP and FORMAT DATA (Wipe/Format Data) to remove encryption.
# If you don't need MAGISK you can reboot to system. Otherwise continue reading the guide.
[MAGISK Installation]
7. From TWRP reboot into RECOVERY again.
8. Connect your phone to PC or if you moved Magisk-v26.1.zip and Magisk-v26.1.apk to SD card then use SD card.
9. Flash the Magisk-v26.1.zip file and reboot to system.
10. When you boot into system install the Magisk apk.
11. Open it and finish the installation process.
12. Reboot
ENJOY!

[UPDATE]
-Updated versions of both TWRP and MAGISK
# TWRP 3.5.2_9-0 --> TWRP 3.6.1_9-0
# Magisk v23 --> Magisk v24.3
-Remodifed VBMETA
For ANY help contact me on Telegram: https://t.me/SerbianGeek

does encryp work on this ? dont need to backup just hide data part if fone is stole

This one flashes and boots the first time, but after a reboot there is the infamous error "only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed"

/dev/null/ said:
This one flashes and boots the first time, but after a reboot there is the infamous error "only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No problems on my end, pal.

SerbianGeekster said:
No problems on my end, pal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this phone is really a PITA. every time i try to do something it's 1 step forward and 2 steps back. never suffered so much. i flashed it like 20 times. all i want is a working twrp on stock rom and pass safetynet

/dev/null/ said:
This one flashes and boots the first time, but after a reboot there is the infamous error "only official released binaries are allowed to be flashed"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
to bypass this error:
1. connect to wifi
2. change the date to 2 august 2019
3. boot into download mode
4. flash twrp

Thank you! It worked! No problems got me.
I kinda feel like idiot that I couldn't install it with that ease before

OH **** IT WORKED !!!
I've been at this for hours, thank you so much !!!

Hello,
I have a Samsung A20e running with the a202fxxu4cvk1 firmware (a11 version). I would like to install twrp and then to root it. I tried several tutorials (Odin, OEM unblocked, USB debugging, time change) but twrp installation fails with message 'custom recovery blocked by frp'.
Can anyone help me?

I duckduckgoed, and found this XDA thread, where the second post says the following :
Nemirtingas said:
FRP: https://www.samsung.com/us/support/frp/
FRP Just locks your phone if you alter the boot or recovery image and you had a google account registered. To unlock it you have to wipe data (factory reset) and reflash stock boot.img and recovery.img before using it again. If your cousin wants to flash my ROM (lineageos-13.0) he'd better not, its not stable and he will encouter random reboots and codecs bugs. The best thing to do is to remove FRP from his phone and flash Magisk (a root manager like SuperSU) and debloat it.
For more information, find the Grandprimevelte group on Telegram.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The rest of the posts mention the need for a modified boot.img, else your phone would brick after adding a Google account, but I don't know about that... I have MicroG on mine with a Google account and no problems.
Anyway, frp seems to be a related to having a Google account on your phone.

fjunk said:
Hello,
I have a Samsung A20e running with the a202fxxu4cvk1 firmware (a11 version) /.../ Custom recovery blocked by frp'.
Can anyone help me?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello..I was wrong. My issue is not related to frp but OEM. OEM is unlocked according to developper menu but is not effective. Not able to upload any custom rom or bootloader.
I read that there was issue (use of a volume up button in download mode).
Any idea?

fjunk said:
Hello..I was wrong. My issue is not related to frp but OEM. OEM is unlocked according to developper menu but is not effective. Not able to upload any custom rom or bootloader.
I read that there was issue (use of a volume up button in download mode).
Any idea?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, my issue is that in download mode I can only do a volume down button and power button to reboot in system mode. No option to unlock bootloader.

I think you only need to do that once, afterwards, download mode doesn't warn you.
What error message do you get exactly when trying to flash TWRP, at what point, and what gives it (phone, odin) ?

lPolarisl said:
I think you only need to do that once, afterwards, download mode doesn't warn you.
What error message do you get exactly when trying to flash TWRP, at what point, and what gives it (phone, od
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Many thanks for your update. Attached are pictures of the mobile and the Odin result. The error is an OEM issue (red text on the top of the mobile screen). In other forums, I can see that the download mode has an option to unlock OEM bootloader. I can't see it on my phone.

Putting the camera so that it covers the error message, what an amazing idea xD
I have never encountered this error, so let's start from the beginning.
Have you enabled the developer options, and activated "allow USB debugging" on the phone ? Also, if there is an option "allow OEM unlock", activate that as well (not all Samsung phones have it).
Have you installed the proper ADB and Samsung drivers ? Which version of Odin are you using ?

lPolarisl said:
Putting the camera so that it covers the error message, what an amazing idea xD
I have never encountered this error, so let's start from the beginning.
Have you enabled the developer options, and activated "allow USB debugging" on the phone ? Also, if there is an option "allow OEM unlock", activate that as well (not all Samsung phones have it).
Have you installed the proper ADB and Samsung drivers ? Which version of Odin are you using ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply.
That's sure that it doesn't really help to hide the error message. Usb debugging is enabled (I am able to run adb commands) and OEM is unlocked on the preference setting. I did the test with Odin 3.13 but same results with newer version. I installed an A11 firmware (a202fxxu4cvk1).
Don't t know how to go ahead. It seems that I don't have the possibility to unlock OEM in the download mode interface....

Wait, what is that about the firmware ? What did you flash, how and why ?
also, try a patched version of Odin from this post (I have 3.13.1_3B)

lPolarisl said:
Wait, what is that about the firmware ? What did you flash, how and why ?
also, try a patched version of Odin from this post (I have 3.13.1_3B)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought a refurbished mobile phone (blackmarket). It came with a 9.0 version. I tried to update to a custom rom without success so I installed the latest 'official' version
Download Samsung Galaxy A20e SM-A202F XEF France A202FXXU4CVK1 firmware
Fast download latest Samsung Galaxy A20e firmware SM-A202F from France with A202FXXU4CVK1 and Android version 11
www.sammobile.com
I uploaded this version using Odin. I also tried the patched Odin version. I read that the patched version only works with a10 version.

Huh...
I have no idea how that behaves, but I hardly see why it would cause a problem.
What else could you try... Restore factory settings maybe ?
Pressing volume up when starting in download mode ? (Note, this supposedly relocks the bootloader if it has been unlocked, if that happens and your phone isn't 100% on stock, it will brick.)