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First-time setup coming from OPO

Hello everyone,
I just received my OP6 coming from the OPO and while I have been flashing LOS (sultans), magisk, twrp and co since my S1+, recent years obviously changed a lot.
So before bricking stuff or getting into bootloops, I briefly want to confirm if I miss something or got the order wrong:
update the stock OOS to the latest version
unlock bootloader
flash twrp
flash magisk
get root access to backup modemst1 & 2
decide if I wanna to with OOS, OOS open beta or LOS (didnt check yet if it is available with PIE)
flash ROM & magisk
flash gcam?! (worth it?)
figure out how to enable VoLTE & VoWIFI
check if I can get my banking ups running with the backups from Titanium (I guess the architecture will case me problems here)
Anything else e.g. in regards to tremble that I should know about? Is a backup of the stock image worth it? (guess I can download one from here anyway)

balleny said:
Hello everyone,
I just received my OP6 coming from the OPO and while I have been flashing LOS (sultans), magisk, twrp and co since my S1+, recent years obviously changed a lot.
So before bricking stuff or getting into bootloops, I briefly want to confirm if I miss something or got the order wrong:
update the stock OOS to the latest version
unlock bootloader
flash twrp
flash magisk
get root access to backup modemst1 & 2
decide if I wanna to with OOS, OOS open beta or LOS (didnt check yet if it is available with PIE)
flash ROM & magisk
flash gcam?! (worth it?)
figure out how to enable VoLTE & VoWIFI
check if I can get my banking ups running with the backups from Titanium (I guess the architecture will case me problems here)
Anything else e.g. in regards to tremble that I should know about? Is a backup of the stock image worth it? (guess I can download one from here anyway)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Settings, system, systemupdate
2. Read the big guide
3. Same as above
4. Same as 2
5. Same as above
6. Omni is good, havoc is good... All depends on your usage, you have to try the roms and decide for yourself.
7. After each rom flash you must flash twrp, then reboot to twrp then gapps then magisk if you want to use custom roms. (A/B partitions, read that info in guide section)
8. You don't flash, you install an apk. Many people like it. Up to you if you will like it. Try, just an apk.
9. For me, they worked from first boot.
10. Probably not, Google has made improvements in security and that's why titanium stopped working on bank aps etc.

[Q]How to change root from phh.superuser to Magisk and upgrade firmware?

Hi Guys, I've been an active user of XDA in the past but didn't have time to follow in the last couple of years so my memory about flashing and tinkering is quite blank.
Here is my situation:
Mate 9 MHA-L29C636B158 (very old ROM)
Bootloader unlocked with paid code from dc-unlocker
Rooted with PHH's Superuser (the only root that was available for our device back in March 2017)
EMUI 5.0 and Android 7.0 (that was obvious from my Build number but I just wanted to state it again)
TWRP 3.0.2-2 is installed with system kept read-only. Internal SD seems to be encrypted
I never took any OTAs as I was afraid that they would break something
In the last month's many of my banking or financial apps have stopped working because I'm rooted so I read that Magisk would be able to circumvent this safetynet thing and would allow me to continue using these apps. Google Pay would be a nice addition also.
At this point I would like to upgrade my firmware and get rid of PHH's Superuser switching to Magisk instead
Could someone please write a detailed guide how to do that? It might be interesting for other users also that are in my same situation. I'm willing to donate a few bucks for a complete and foolproof guide.
Thanks a lot

itenos said:
Hi Guys, I've been an active user of XDA in the past but didn't have time to follow in the last couple of years so my memory about flashing and tinkering is quite blank.
Here is my situation:
Mate 9 MHA-L29C636B158 (very old ROM)
Bootloader unlocked with paid code from dc-unlocker
Rooted with PHH's Superuser (the only root that was available for our device back in March 2017)
EMUI 5.0 and Android 7.0 (that was obvious from my Build number but I just wanted to state it again)
TWRP 3.0.2-2 is installed with system kept read-only. Internal SD seems to be encrypted
I never took any OTAs as I was afraid that they would break something
In the last month's many of my banking or financial apps have stopped working because I'm rooted so I read that Magisk would be able to circumvent this safetynet thing and would allow me to continue using these apps. Google Pay would be a nice addition also.
At this point I would like to upgrade my firmware and get rid of PHH's Superuser switching to Magisk instead
Could someone please write a detailed guide how to do that? It might be interesting for other users also that are in my same situation. I'm willing to donate a few bucks for a complete and foolproof guide.
Thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you still have the unlock code? You'll want it, as the update from EMUI 5 to EMUI 8, on every device I've got, has relocked the bootloader.
With that said:
If you want to keep your data, make a backup using Hisuite.
Download the FullOTA firmware for your current version. Extract system, boot, recovery, recovery2 (as you're on EMUI 5) and flash them either in TWRP or fastboot; that should eliminate PHH SU and TWRP, and ultimately leave the system in a clean state.
If you modified other partitions on the device using TWRP or su in general, it wouldn't be a bad idea to use a nocheck recovery or HuRupdater to flash the entire system, to leave everything in a pristine state, since there are partitions you can't flash with fastboot, even with an unlocked bootloader. The instructions for HuR can be found elsewhere on XDA, as can details about nocheck recoveries, though the latter I'd be careful with - using HWOTA7 on Oreo, for example, WILL cause a brick. You've been warned.
Start the update process - you've already been approved for OTAs and they've been offered, so they should happen automatically. When Oreo is installed, it'll automatically relock your bootloader; you can continue updating here, though if you've got a particular target you want to go to, you might want to unlock and use HuR again to flash that specific one now that you're on Oreo. (The latest firmwares can't be rolled back to Nougat.) If you have no intention of going back to Nougat, you have your unlock code, and you aren't planning to do any other modifications like rebranding, then update away, though you may want to hold off of the Pie update if offered. (Shouldn't be, yet, but it could have been approved for your device already; it changes the boot partitions yet again.)
Now that you're on Oreo and presumably unlocked again, make sure you've got the FullOTA image downloaded for that firmware to your PC. (Always a good idea, anyway.)
Magisk can be installed by:
1) Flashing TWRP with fastboot, then flashing a suitable Magisk zip
2) Using Magisk Manager to patch a boot image and flashing that.
For TWRP:
Get a copy of TWRP from the forum here. When I use one, it's the 3.2.1-0 from @Pretoriano80, you'll find it in the development section. Any 3.2.x for Oreo should work though - a Nougat TWRP will not work.
Flash TWRP to recovery_ramdisk in fastboot. Boot to TWRP, flash Magisk.
For Magisk Manager:
Extract "ramdisk" from your FullOTA firmware. Place it in internal storage on your device. Use Magisk Manager to patch the image (install / patch boot image). Transfer the patched_boot.img created by Magisk back to your PC and flash that to the "ramdisk" partition in fastboot.

Just stumbled over your reply, didn't get an email notification from XDA. Thank you so much. Let's see if I can follow your instructions.
irony_delerium said:
Do you still have the unlock code? You'll want it, as the update from EMUI 5 to EMUI 8, on every device I've got, has relocked the bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I still have the code
irony_delerium said:
With that said:
If you want to keep your data, make a backup using Hisuite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Done
irony_delerium said:
Download the FullOTA firmware for your current version. Extract system, boot, recovery, recovery2 (as you're on EMUI 5) and flash them either in TWRP or fastboot; that should eliminate PHH SU and TWRP, and ultimately leave the system in a clean state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I downloaded the FullOTA with the FirmwareFinder app on my phone and transferred it to my laptop. Extracted the update.app with WinRAR and extracted system, boot, recovery and recovery2 using the Huawei Update Extractor 0.9.9.3.
Just to make no mistake, could you please confirm the order of flashing these 4 files? And maybe the correct command to use in fastboot?
irony_delerium said:
If you modified other partitions on the device using TWRP or su in general, it wouldn't be a bad idea to use a nocheck recovery or HuRupdater to flash the entire system, to leave everything in a pristine state, since there are partitions you can't flash with fastboot, even with an unlocked bootloader. The instructions for HuR can be found elsewhere on XDA, as can details about nocheck recoveries, though the latter I'd be careful with - using HWOTA7 on Oreo, for example, WILL cause a brick. You've been warned.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think that I modified any other partitions, at least not willingly. I even left the system in read-only state. Don't know if phh.su did something by itself?
irony_delerium said:
Start the update process - you've already been approved for OTAs and they've been offered, so they should happen automatically. When Oreo is installed, it'll automatically relock your bootloader; you can continue updating here, though if you've got a particular target you want to go to, you might want to unlock and use HuR again to flash that specific one now that you're on Oreo. (The latest firmwares can't be rolled back to Nougat.) If you have no intention of going back to Nougat, you have your unlock code, and you aren't planning to do any other modifications like rebranding, then update away, though you may want to hold off of the Pie update if offered. (Shouldn't be, yet, but it could have been approved for your device already; it changes the boot partitions yet again.)
Now that you're on Oreo and presumably unlocked again, make sure you've got the FullOTA image downloaded for that firmware to your PC. (Always a good idea, anyway.)
Magisk can be installed by:
1) Flashing TWRP with fastboot, then flashing a suitable Magisk zip
2) Using Magisk Manager to patch a boot image and flashing that.
For TWRP:
Get a copy of TWRP from the forum here. When I use one, it's the 3.2.1-0 from @Pretoriano80, you'll find it in the development section. Any 3.2.x for Oreo should work though - a Nougat TWRP will not work.
Flash TWRP to recovery_ramdisk in fastboot. Boot to TWRP, flash Magisk.
For Magisk Manager:
Extract "ramdisk" from your FullOTA firmware. Place it in internal storage on your device. Use Magisk Manager to patch the image (install / patch boot image). Transfer the patched_boot.img created by Magisk back to your PC and flash that to the "ramdisk" partition in fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Will continue to do the above after your kind confirmation of my last questions. Thanks again

itenos said:
I downloaded the FullOTA with the FirmwareFinder app on my phone and transferred it to my laptop. Extracted the update.app with WinRAR and extracted system, boot, recovery and recovery2 using the Huawei Update Extractor 0.9.9.3.
Just to make no mistake, could you please confirm the order of flashing these 4 files? And maybe the correct command to use in fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The order shouldn't be particularly relevant, just that it's safest to reflash all of them:
- boot because phhsu may have modified the boot image to add su to it
- recovery and recovery2 because you loaded TWRP. recovery2 is specified because it's used to be recommended to flash to erecovery as well as normal recovery.
- system because I'm pretty sure that's the biggest thing modified Hy phhsu, and any other system changes you may have made.
Theoretically, other modified partitions won't matter since the upgrade to 8.0 replaces most (all, I think) of them anyway, but if you have to go through update steps through EMUI 5 first before it'll give you 8, then it's safest that they aren't modified. I mentioned other partitions because, with root & TWRP, you technically could have modified any and all of them.

irony_delerium said:
Download the FullOTA firmware for your current version. Extract system, boot, recovery, recovery2 (as you're on EMUI 5) and flash them either in TWRP or fastboot; that should eliminate PHH SU and TWRP, and ultimately leave the system in a clean state.
Start the update process - you've already been approved for OTAs and they've been offered, so they should happen automatically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing of 158 (original ROM version) went fine. Phone rebooted and titanium reported no root access, so it looks good.
After that I started the OTA update to 172 that waited already long time in my settings and it downloaded it. After downloading it gave me an error during the validation process of the file and asked to download it again.
Unfortunately now both the phone updater and the HiSuite app on my laptop say that 158 is the latest available firmware and no update is available.
I guess that I can download directly the newer firmware but I'm not exactly sure how to flash the whole package and what I should do with the other 2 files that come with it besides the update.zip

itenos said:
Flashing of 158 (original ROM version) went fine. Phone rebooted and titanium reported no root access, so it looks good.
After that I started the OTA update to 172 that waited already long time in my settings and it downloaded it. After downloading it gave me an error during the validation process of the file and asked to download it again.
Unfortunately now both the phone updater and the HiSuite app on my laptop say that 158 is the latest available firmware and no update is available.
I guess that I can download directly the newer firmware but I'm not exactly sure how to flash the whole package and what I should do with the other 2 files that come with it besides the update.zip
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might be tweaking out about the fact that you'd previously modified system.
I'd grab the last Nougat release (looks like 191; there are 2 of them, be sure it's not the rollback one you grab) and use hurupdater in TWRP to install it, then let the system try running OTA again.

irony_delerium said:
It might be tweaking out about the fact that you'd previously modified system.
I'd grab the last Nougat release (looks like 191; there are 2 of them, be sure it's not the rollback one you grab) and use hurupdater in TWRP to install it, then let the system try running OTA again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to insert the SIM card of the country I bought my phone in to get the OTAs coming. Luckily I still had it with a few $ credit on it. It used just a few cents in data roaming for finding the new firmware, then I downloaded through wifi.
After 4 updates now I'm on 378 and no sign of Pie yet so this afternoon if I find some time I'll continue with rooting.

itenos said:
I had to insert the SIM card of the country I bought my phone in to get the OTAs coming. Luckily I still had it with a few $ credit on it. It used just a few cents in data roaming for finding the new firmware, then I downloaded through wifi.
After 4 updates now I'm on 378 and no sign of Pie yet so this afternoon if I find some time I'll continue with rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Easy way:
Unlock phone, if you haven't yet again.
Download and flash TWRP from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-9/development/recovery-twrp-3-2-1-0-t3783353 (has decryption support) (flash to recovery_ramdisk as Huawei decided to split recovery partition into different parts)
Boot to TWRP, input pin (if you set a pin, else it will decrypt automatically)
Download Magisk: https://forum.xda-developers.com/apps/magisk/official-magisk-v7-universal-systemless-t3473445
Transfer Magisk to phone.
Flash Magisk zip in TWRP.
Reboot and you're done.
You might have to tinker around with Magisk Hide and hide apps if your banking apps still detect root.

As the Huawei Backup took over 4 hours to finish and i can't use Titanium, which is much faster, because I'm not rooted at the moment, I thought it's a good idea to first upgrade to Pie before unlocking my bootloader and losing all data. If I need to stay a few days without root it's ok.
Is there any way to get to Pie without being rooted? I tried the erecovery method on firmware finder. It says that my IMEI is now registered to download the update but when I enter erecovery it starts downloading the 378 oreo package.
I would like to avoid backing up and restoring twice this lengthy process, probably 16 hours all in all

itenos said:
As the Huawei Backup took over 4 hours to finish and i can't use Titanium, which is much faster, because I'm not rooted at the moment, I thought it's a good idea to first upgrade to Pie before unlocking my bootloader and losing all data. If I need to stay a few days without root it's ok.
Is there any way to get to Pie without being rooted? I tried the erecovery method on firmware finder. It says that my IMEI is now registered to download the update but when I enter erecovery it starts downloading the 378 oreo package.
I would like to avoid backing up and restoring twice this lengthy process, probably 16 hours all in all
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The erecovery method won't work unless you can change the DNS settings on the network being used - it hijacks some of the requests to Huawei's servers to force the update. (And even then it's a bit finicky; I have yet to successfully use it, all things considered.)

Yesterday I finally received 9.0.1.159 with EMUI 9.0.1 by OTA. It installed fine and it's amazing how fast my phone became and how much screen on time I have now with my 2 year old device (8 full hours!). Good job Google and Huawei.
Being on Pie now I suppose that the instructions to root from you and ante0 are not valid anymore as they were meant for Oreo.
Could you please modify the instructions for Pie? And further, as I see that since yesterday in FirmwareFinder a new Pie update 9.0.1.178 popped up, could you please also add instructions how to take this OTA being rooted with Magisk once it arrives?
I've read a bit in the Magisk thread but I did not really understand the part of having to boot to recovery everytime I switch on the phone. Further they are talking there about EMUI 9 but I have already 9.0.1, is there maybe a difference I have to take care about?
Last but not least, I didn't forget my initial promise to donate a few bucks for the detailed instructions so please drop me your email in PM and I'll sent you a few through PayPal or in alternative, if you have some paid apps on the Playstore I could buy them so they might get more visibility.

itenos said:
Yesterday I finally received 9.0.1.159 with EMUI 9.0.1 by OTA. It installed fine and it's amazing how fast my phone became and how much screen on time I have now with my 2 year old device (8 full hours!). Good job Google and Huawei.
Being on Pie now I suppose that the instructions to root from you and ante0 are not valid anymore as they were meant for Oreo.
Could you please modify the instructions for Pie? And further, as I see that since yesterday in FirmwareFinder a new Pie update 9.0.1.178 popped up, could you please also add instructions how to take this OTA being rooted with Magisk once it arrives?
I've read a bit in the Magisk thread but I did not really understand the part of having to boot to recovery everytime I switch on the phone. Further they are talking there about EMUI 9 but I have already 9.0.1, is there maybe a difference I have to take care about?
Last but not least, I didn't forget my initial promise to donate a few bucks for the detailed instructions so please drop me your email in PM and I'll sent you a few through PayPal or in alternative, if you have some paid apps on the Playstore I could buy them so they might get more visibility.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The reason recovery boot is needed for Pie is because Huawei removed the ramdisk - in Pie, it's system as root with no way of forcing a ramdisk except by a recovery boot. So as a workaround, Magisk takes over recovery.
The installation instructions for it on Pie are pretty much the same as Oreo, except:
* Patch recovery_ramdisk, not ramdisk. Latest stable Magisk should work (18.1, iirc, has the patches to support recovery boot.)
* When booting, go to recovery. Magisk will start from there and take over the startup process.

irony_delerium said:
The installation instructions for it on Pie are pretty much the same as Oreo, except:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, where do I find the TWRP for Pie in order to flash?
And most importantly how do I have to behave in case of new OTAs coming?

itenos said:
Hmm, where do I find the TWRP for Pie in order to flash?
And most importantly how do I have to behave in case of new OTAs coming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
TWRP on this case, don't bother.
Extract your stock recovery from your firmware's update.app file, patch with Magisk Manager, and flash the patched image. When you want to flash an ota, put the stock recovery back.

[GM-1910 OP7PRO] Reset everything back to Oxygen OS ( Help:( )

Hey I was experiencing some display issues so I flashed a custom ROM to test / narrow the problem (hardware issue sadly).
—Now I'm not sure how to revert back to completely stock as I've never unlocked the bootloader and worked much with fastboot.
On Samsung's you just download the official stock file, get Odin and put the file into AP, flash, done.
On one plus this is a bit different, first of all there's barely any mentioning of GM-1910 in the MSMDownloaderTool thread(s), I also don't want to have Hydrogen OS.
—My OP7Pro came with Oxygen OS pre-installed, GM1910 "international version" ← def. Chinese with oxygen flashed over it.
*What have you altered so far?*
Unlocked Bootloader/OEM
Flashed TWRP with fastboot
Flashed Havoc 3.0 OS, Magisk, OpenGapps
My perspective on the nature of special relativity.
*What do I want to reset?*
EVERYTHING, ROM, recovery, bootloader, you name it, I don't care about apps and pictures. worth noting I have a One plus Switch Backup, does that help?

Look for the MSM tool... that can reset the phone completely back to stock.

UpdateYourBrowser said:
Hey I was experiencing some display issues so I flashed a custom ROM to test / narrow the problem (hardware issue sadly).
—Now I'm not sure how to revert back to completely stock as I've never unlocked the bootloader and worked much with fastboot.
On Samsung's you just download the official stock file, get Odin and put the file into AP, flash, done.
On one plus this is a bit different, first of all there's barely any mentioning of GM-1910 in the MSMDownloaderTool thread(s), I also don't want to have Hydrogen OS.
—My OP7Pro came with Oxygen OS pre-installed, GM1910 "international version" ← def. Chinese with oxygen flashed over it.
*What have you altered so far?*
Unlocked Bootloader/OEM
Flashed TWRP with fastboot
Flashed Havoc 3.0 OS, Magisk, OpenGapps
My perspective on the nature of special relativity.
*What do I want to reset?*
EVERYTHING, ROM, recovery, bootloader, you name it, I don't care about apps and pictures. worth noting I have a One plus Switch Backup, does that help?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use the fastboot ROM or Guac (MSM tool for oxygen OS). Links below:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/msm-tool-guac-t3934691
or
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/rom-stock-fastboot-roms-oneplus-7-pro-t3931424
Good luck!!

Gr8man001 said:
You can use the fastboot ROM or Guac (MSM tool for oxygen OS). Links below:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/msm-tool-guac-t3934691
or
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/rom-stock-fastboot-roms-oneplus-7-pro-t3931424
Good luck!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
excuse my stupidity but given that I want to get rid of my custom ROM and back to stock oxygen which tool do I have to use?
secondly all images (androidfilehost) for the second link are for GM1911,17,13,15 but mine is 1910 which is not listed, what do I do now?

UpdateYourBrowser said:
excuse my stupidity but given that I want to get rid of my custom ROM and back to stock oxygen which tool do I have to use?
secondly all images (androidfilehost) for the second link are for GM1911,17,13,15 but mine is 1910 which is not listed, what do I do now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry but I am not familiar with Chinese stock ROMs. For some reason, I got the impression that you wanted to restore it to an international version and not the Chinese/HK version. You may want to post a question in the OnePlus community forum or check out their download section for your specific model.
https://forums.oneplus.com/forums/oneplus-7pro-support/

Gr8man001 said:
I am sorry but I am not familiar with Chinese stock ROMs. For some reason, I got the impression that you wanted to restore it to an international version and not the Chinese/HK version. You may want to post a question in the OnePlus community forum or check out their download section for your specific model.
https://forums.oneplus.com/forums/oneplus-7pro-support/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no no I want to restore it to international version, the phone itself is GM1910. should I flash GM21AA file or the global file?
I think I will go with the global file, makes most sense in this moment

UpdateYourBrowser said:
no no I want to restore it to international version, the phone itself is GM1910. should I flash GM21AA file or the global file?
I think I will go with the global file, makes most sense in this moment
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GM21AA should be fine. If you decided to use the MSM tool (the one in the first link), hardest part is to get the L2/qualcomm drivers installed on your PC with the method described. Alternatively you can download and install the drivers yourself which will make the job easier. This will LOCK your bootloader and wipe off everything on your phone. You will get a brand new phone running 10.0.3 OS
Easiet way would be to go fastboot ROM route. It will also wipe your phone but won't lock the bootloader. Once installation is complete you could use the adb command to lock the bootloader. It's one extra step but may be much easier IMO. Download the zip file on PC>unzip it>Hit flash all bat file while the phone is connected in the fastboot mode. You may get some error messages regarding header parsing, ignore them and sit tight until your phone boots.
Good luck!!

WORKS NOW! Can confirm this reverts all back to stock (it will revert back to Oxygen OS (OOS) 9.5 so you'll have to update to Android 10 via OTA if you want)
For anyone wondering, I had Android 10 installed before / Havoc 3.0 and the MSMTool will revert you back to Oxygen OS 9.5. Widevine jumped back to L1 so everything should be stock.
If you have any questions, don't wait, I am sure someone out there had the same questions/issue as me and I hope this will help you.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/msm-tool-guac-t3934691

UpdateYourBrowser said:
WORKS NOW! Can confirm this reverts all back to stock (it will revert back to Oxygen OS (OOS) 9.5 so you'll have to update to Android 10 via OTA if you want)
For anyone wondering, I had Android 10 installed before / Havoc 3.0 and the MSMTool will revert you back to Oxygen OS 9.5. Widevine jumped back to L1 so everything should be stock.
If you have any questions, don't wait, I am sure someone out there had the same questions/issue as me and I hope this will help you.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-7-pro/how-to/msm-tool-guac-t3934691
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, I have a problem, I re-locked the bootloader, it is currently blocked, but my Widevine status is still L3, can you tell me if you used MsmTool first and then you did relock, or did you block the bootloader first?

How To Guide How to Update OOS 12 with Root

Hi Everyone, there seems to be a lot of bits and pieces in regards to updating OOS 12 and Root so I thought I put together this guide on the way I do it while retaining Root. Unless something changes, this method should work for all future OOS 12 OTA updates.
Please read through all of the steps below before attempting. I will take no responsibility if something goes wrong, this works for me on my OnePlus 9 LE2115 and it should work for other OnePlus 9/Pro models.
1. Install Oxygen Updater app from the Play Store
2. Download the Full OTA.
3. Download and install the OP Local Update app ( apk).
4. Use the OP Local Update app to flash the Full OTA (you will lose root and custom recovery).
Optional - Retaining Root
DO NOT REBOOT if you want to keep Root
5. Open Magisk and in the Magisk section, tap 'Install'.
6. Select ' Install to Inactive Slot (After OTA)'.
7. Tap ' LET'S GO', let it run and then reboot.
After the system boots back up, check to make sure you have retained Root. You will not lose any data doing it this way.

What do you do if you've rebooted, are on the new OS but don't have root? When I go back to Magisk it's asking for an IMG file... I saved the last used kernel before upgrading (11.2.10.10)

I tried installing that app, which looks like its an udpate for a system app (system updater) which is prob why it fails.
I was previously under the impression that this app was to replace the missing system updater in OOS12.

Nick James said:
What do you do if you've rebooted, are on the new OS but don't have root? When I go back to Magisk it's asking for an IMG file... I saved the last used kernel before upgrading (11.2.10.10)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This guide is for updating OOS 12, i have not tested it from OOS 11 to 12. It looks like you just need to flash the patched boot.img again.
Also, just to make sure, you didn't reboot the phone after flashing the Full OTA? After flashing Full OTA, you need to go straight into Magisk as per instruction.

gorilla p said:
I tried installing that app, which looks like its an udpate for a system app (system updater) which is prob why it fails.
I was previously under the impression that this app was to replace the missing system updater in OOS12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it does not replace any app, it installs a new one. The Local Updater app is only for OOS 12. In OOS 11, it's integrated into system Updater but for some reason in OOS 12, OP removed it and created a seperate app for Local OTA flashing.

Z-Blade said:
Yeah, it does not replace any app, it installs a new one. The Local Updater app is only for OOS 12. In OOS 11, it's integrated into system Updater but for some reason in OOS 12, OP removed it and created a seperate app for Local OTA flashing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rebooted per old instructions and that is what messed it up.
Used the Oxygen Updater to re-download the OTA.
Extracted the boot.img with payload dumper.
Patched boot.img
Reflashed
And we are good to go.

Nick James said:
I rebooted per old instructions and that is what messed it up.
Used the Oxygen Updater to re-download the OTA.
Extracted the boot.img with payload dumper.
Patched boot.img
Reflashed
And we are good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, right. From the other thread. Good to hear it's all sorted out.

If you are looking for the boot.img for a OP9 (not pro) LE2115_11_C.47... here you go:
Meet Google Drive – One place for all your files
Google Drive is a free way to keep your files backed up and easy to reach from any phone, tablet, or computer. Start with 15GB of Google storage – free.
drive.google.com
This is valuable if you get stuck in a position like I did on C.47 without root. Patch this file with Magisk and follow the instructions as you normally would when flashing for root:
Installation
The Magic Mask for Android
topjohnwu.github.io

Nick James said:
I rebooted per old instructions and that is what messed it up.
Used the Oxygen Updater to re-download the OTA.
Extracted the boot.img with payload dumper.
Patched boot.img
Reflashed
And we are good to go.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, how did you get from e.13 to c.47 with root?
1. Download c.47
2. Install it via updater - no resart
3. install the patched_boot.img in inactiv slot
4. restart
Correct?

AxelM said:
So, how did you get from e.13 to c.47 with root?
1. Download c.47
2. Install it via updater - no resart
3. install the patched_boot.img in inactiv slot
4. restart
Correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I uninstalled Magisk (restored images).
Rebooted (I shouldn't have done this)
Updated via OTA; rebooted.
Confirmed I was on the new version; indeed I was... completely new UI... did not lose any data or apps
Used the update app to redownload the OTA, copied it to my computer, used payload dumper to get the boot.img. Moved that back to my phone, patched with magisk and reflashed and voila.
I'm not sure on the exacts in terms of versions that I was on before but I did back up the kernel prior to all this (force of habit) and it was 11.2.10.10.

Thank you, i will try
1. I will just restore the normal boot.img
2. Update via OnePlus Update app from device
3. reboot
4. install the patched_boot.img in the inactiv slot
5. restart
Done!

So to be clear, we can now upgrade like we used to, by downloading full image From Oxygen Updater, using system update complete the upgrade, then go to magisk and install to inactive slot and reboot?
I tried this with the earlier 12 release and it went poor.
Luckily, I realized before trying this, is this only for 12 to 12 udpates and not 11 to 12? If the former, it may be best to clarify.

I am not sure. But like I understood you have to unroot before...
@Nick James am I right?

AxelM said:
I am not sure. But like I understood you have to unroot before...
@Nick James am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think so. It says if you wanna keep root, follow #5, 6, 7

AxelM said:
I am not sure. But like I understood you have to unroot before...
@Nick James am I right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly this OS sucks. I wouldn't waste your time. I'm going to factory reset tomorrow. It's that bad.

The steps I provided is only OOS 12 to OOS 12. I have not tried these steps from OOS 11 to OOS 12. My assumptions is it should still work since you are flashing the Full OTA, it pretty much overrides everything including boot.img. This is why you shouldn't reboot after flashing the OTA if you want to keep root.
However, this is just an assumption, if someone who is currently on OOS 11 can test it out and report here, that would be great.

gorilla p said:
I dont think so. It says if you wanna keep root, follow #5, 6, 7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You are right for OS12 but not OS11. Therefore I assume you have to do my mentioned steps, but like @Z-Blade wrote, anyone has tested here yet...

Hello I tried it today. Like this:
1. I will just restore the normal boot.img
2. Update via OnePlus Update app from device
3. install the patched_boot.img in the inactiv slot
4. restart
Everything seems normal, but I am ony able to connect to the internet when in wlan...

I went from OOS 11 to 12... I wouldn't say the upgrade went smooth thus why I have to reinstall the OS to see if that clear things up. This OS is still really buggy from what I can see but it could be due to not clean flashing. Just beware is all I'm sayin'

So, my internet is back to live...after some reboots it works well

Question [FIXED] Hard Bricked LE2115

Background:
I unlocked the bootloader and then proceeded to flash the device from 12 to 11 using THIS tutorial. When I got to the first "fastboot reboot fastboot" the phone never rebooted. The screen is all black. I can't get into recovery or back into fastboot using the button method.
I downloaded the MSM Global tool and got all the drivers installed. I was able to start the flashing process but get "Device not match image" early in the process. I have called OnePlus customer service. They didn't ask any questions just told me to send in the phone. I would rather fix this myself if possible. Any insight and or help is much appreciated.

UPDATE: I found this information, and it had me flash the India 9 Pro version. It worked. I have a booting phone and can now work on getting it back to the US version.

I wish people would stop following the guide for fastboot flashing. Just use the MSM while it still recognizes your device because if fastboot flashing fails, you end up having to flash it multiple times as it's not recognizing it as the correct unit anymore with that level of corruption.
To get back to global firmware, flash this in the local upgrade tool.
https://oxygenos.oneplus.net/OnePlus9Oxygen_22.O.11_OTA_0110_all_2107082125_downgrade_059624cc7298428b.zip
It is the global downgrade package. It will wipe your phone and when it comes back, you will be back on global software.
After you flash that, go to OTA upgrade and it will say it's going to download C.48 but it will actually install 11.2.10.10 and then you will have the latest OOS11.
If you download it directly to the phone or copy it over with a PC, the file may disappear. Enable USB debugging and use adb.
adb push nameof.zip /sdcard/

EtherealRemnant said:
I wish people would stop following the guide for fastboot flashing. Just use the MSM while it still recognizes your device because if fastboot flashing fails, you end up having to flash it multiple times as it's not recognizing it as the correct unit anymore with that level of corruption.
To get back to global firmware, flash this in the local upgrade tool.
https://oxygenos.oneplus.net/OnePlus9Oxygen_22.O.11_OTA_0110_all_2107082125_downgrade_059624cc7298428b.zip
It is the global downgrade package. It will wipe your phone and when it comes back, you will be back on global software.
After you flash that, go to OTA upgrade and it will say it's going to download C.48 but it will actually install 11.2.10.10 and then you will have the latest OOS11.
If you download it directly to the phone or copy it over with a PC, the file may disappear. Enable USB debugging and use adb.
adb push nameof.zip /sdcard/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that! The phone is back to fulling functioning with the proper version of OOS. It has been a long time since I rooted and ROMed. Fastboot used to be a straightforward method of flashing a stock ROM. Doesn't seem like it is anymore.

hillmom said:
Thanks for that! The phone is back to fulling functioning with the proper version of OOS. It has been a long time since I rooted and ROMed. Fastboot used to be a straightforward method of flashing a stock ROM. Doesn't seem like it is anymore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad that it worked. Did you have the bootloader locked? I am just trying to confirm I'm not crazy and that I was actually able to use it with a locked bootloader lol.
Yeah fastboot flashing was the gold standard way to avoid a brick back in the days before A/B partitions and Android Verified Boot came along but not so much now. This device in particular seems to be really fussy about fastboot flashing. I never managed to brick my Pixel 3 XL doing it but I have had to MSM multiple times trying to do fastboot commands and custom recoveries to flash custom ROMs on my OP9. I have got the process down tova science at this point lol. I just went back to stock and rooted it and I'm much happier with that than I was with custom ROMs that were plagued with issues.

EtherealRemnant said:
Glad that it worked. Did you have the bootloader locked? I am just trying to confirm I'm not crazy and that I was actually able to use it with a locked bootloader lol.
Yeah fastboot flashing was the gold standard way to avoid a brick back in the days before A/B partitions and Android Verified Boot came along but not so much now. This device in particular seems to be really fussy about fastboot flashing. I never managed to brick my Pixel 3 XL doing it but I have had to MSM multiple times trying to do fastboot commands and custom recoveries to flash custom ROMs on my OP9. I have got the process down tova science at this point lol. I just went back to stock and rooted it and I'm much happier with that than I was with custom ROMs that were plagued with issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I did it with the bootloader unlocked.
I might go back to Stock soon enough. While not as big a pain as Samsung, also not the easiest phone I've played with either.

EtherealRemnant said:
I wish people would stop following the guide for fastboot flashing. Just use the MSM while it still recognizes your device because if fastboot flashing fails, you end up having to flash it multiple times as it's not recognizing it as the correct unit anymore with that level of corruption.
To get back to global firmware, flash this in the local upgrade tool.
https://oxygenos.oneplus.net/OnePlus9Oxygen_22.O.11_OTA_0110_all_2107082125_downgrade_059624cc7298428b.zip
It is the global downgrade package. It will wipe your phone and when it comes back, you will be back on global software.
After you flash that, go to OTA upgrade and it will say it's going to download C.48 but it will actually install 11.2.10.10 and then you will have the latest OOS11.
If you download it directly to the phone or copy it over with a PC, the file may disappear. Enable USB debugging and use adb.
adb push nameof.zip /sdcard/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hii! My phone is LE2115 a12 C60 can i use this file to go back to OSS11? Also do i need to unlock my bootloader or i can use this even with bootloader locked? Last one where can i find "local update tool"? Thanks a lot

eliasdeejay said:
Hii! My phone is LE2115 a12 C60 can i use this file to go back to OSS11? Also do i need to unlock my bootloader or i can use this even with bootloader locked? Last one where can i find "local update tool"? Thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can use this to go back to OOS11. You shouldn't need to unlock the bootloader as this is an officially sanctioned downgrade package.
Since you're on Android 12 you need to install the local upgrade APK:.
https://oxygenos.oneplus.net/OPLocalUpdate_For_Android12.apk
Install that, push the downgrade zip to /sdcard/, open the newly installed system update app, hit the gear, and it should show you the zip file waiting.

EtherealRemnant said:
Yes, you can use this to go back to OOS11. You shouldn't need to unlock the bootloader as this is an officially sanctioned downgrade package.
Since you're on Android 12 you need to install the local upgrade APK:.
https://oxygenos.oneplus.net/OPLocalUpdate_For_Android12.apk
Install that, push the downgrade zip to /sdcard/, open the newly installed system update app, hit the gear, and it should show you the zip file waiting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hii! by chance do you know where I can download the previous versions of A12 update? specifically C.48. And if i can install it via local upgrade APK. Thanks!

eliasdeejay said:
Hii! by chance do you know where I can download the previous versions of A12 update? specifically C.48. And if i can install it via local upgrade APK. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://android.googleapis.com/packages/ota-api/package/1797d47ddef0fca1411fb006b9c7a1a7ba33d818.zip
There is a pinned post with them. This is C.48 for global and yes, you use the local upgrade but since you're on OOS11, you don't use the APK, use the update function in system settings and tap the gear and you'll see it.

Hi i tried to use the updater on android12 and try to downgrade it to .48 but it return error. So i need to downgrade to android 11 first and then update it again to .48?

cruzzmz said:
Hi i tried to use the updater on android12 and try to downgrade it to .48 but it return error. So i need to downgrade to android 11 first and then update it again to .48?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Correct. Only the specific downgrade packages can downgrade. It will also wipe the device. There's no way around this. Once you are back on 11, you can do the local upgrade to flash the full C.48 ROM instead of having to do the whole OTA process (normal process is downgrade, OTA to 11.2.10.10 (it will say it's C.48 but have a file size of like 150MB but it's not), OTA to C.48 so you get to skip a step if you just use the full update package).

EtherealRemnant said:
Correct. Only the specific downgrade packages can downgrade. It will also wipe the device. There's no way around this. Once you are back on 11, you can do the local upgrade to flash the full C.48 ROM instead of having to do the whole OTA process (normal process is downgrade, OTA to 11.2.10.10 (it will say it's C.48 but have a file size of like 150MB but it's not), OTA to C.48 so you get to skip a step if you just use the full update package).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hii is 11.2.10.10 a lot better than 11.2.8.8? Sorry for a lot of questions im new to OnePlus

EtherealRemnant said:
Correct. Only the specific downgrade packages can downgrade. It will also wipe the device. There's no way around this. Once you are back on 11, you can do the local upgrade to flash the full C.48 ROM instead of having to do the whole OTA process (normal process is downgrade, OTA to 11.2.10.10 (it will say it's C.48 but have a file size of like 150MB but it's not), OTA to C.48 so you get to skip a step if you just use the full update package).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok if i understand correctly, i just use the updater to flash the android 11 zip file that you provided and it will do a full wipe and will restore to android 11. Then i just use the updater again to flasj it to .48
am i correct?

eliasdeejay said:
Hii is 11.2.10.10 a lot better than 11.2.8.8? Sorry for a lot of questions im new to OnePlus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know because I didn't get my phone until February so I went right to 11.2.10.10. It is important to update though because it gets you a working OS on both slots instead of just one.
cruzzmz said:
Ok if i understand correctly, i just use the updater to flash the android 11 zip file that you provided and it will do a full wipe and will restore to android 11. Then i just use the updater again to flasj it to .48
am i correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, if you want to go back to 12.

EtherealRemnant said:
Yes, if you want to go back to 12.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes i want to go to 12 but not the crappy .60

cruzzmz said:
yes i want to go to 12 but not the crappy .60
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol yeah. I'm not too happy with C.60 either. I really don't want to wipe my device and lose my Signal chats again.

EtherealRemnant said:
Lol yeah. I'm not too happy with C.60 either. I really don't want to wipe my device and lose my Signal chats again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my sentiment exactly dunno how OP fk up with the model and the update
so i dont need MSM Tool to downgrade??

cruzzmz said:
my sentiment exactly dunno how OP fk up with the model and the update
so i dont need MSM Tool to downgrade??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know what you aren't understanding but I'm tired of repeating myself. Read what I wrote and it answers your question.

EtherealRemnant said:
I don't know what you aren't understanding but I'm tired of repeating myself. Read what I wrote and it answers your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok done it ... on OOS11 now .... no need to unlock bootloader can just flash the file directly.
Will try OOS11 for a while and see if it is worth updating to OOS12