Database Develop

[GUIDE] Installing OxygenOS on Chinese models, easy rooting guide and much more!

Ok so I've seen a lot of confusion on how to correctly flash OxygenOS on your brand new OnePlus 5, and also how to correctly and easily root your phone.. This guide aims to clear up any confusion regarding this. Ready? Let's move on.
Q: What's the difference between International and Chinese versions of the OnePlus 5?
A: Hardware-wise there is absolutely no difference between the 2 versions. In terms of software, the international version runs OxygenOS (OOS) while the Chinese version runs HydrogenOS(H2OS). H2OS has no Google services pre-installed and is generally not recommended for use outside China. Both OxygenOS and HydrogenOS are official updates by OnePlus.
Q: I bought a Chinese phone. How do I install OxygenOS then?
A: 1. Download the latest OxygenOS from here. Download the full zip and NOT the OTA update.
2. Place it in the root of your internal memory. Basically don't put the file in any folder.
3. Go to Settings > System updates, press the gear icon and select Local upgrade.
4. Choose the file, the phone will boot into recovery and everything is done.
Q: OK I want to root my phone but I don't want to lose Android Pay, Netflix, Pokemon GO etc. Is it possible?
Simple answer: Yes. Long answer: Maybe not in the long run.
Why is that so? You see, back in the old days there were little downsides to rooting. Alas, Android Pay and Pokemon GO came along, and in an effort to tighten up security, Google implemented this thing called
SafetyNet. Basically it's a measure to test your system integrity, meaning that any modification to system will trigger SafetyNet and many apps will be "locked down". Android Pay and Pokemon GO will not work,
and Netflix won't show up on Google Play anymore. Some devices even check for unlocked bootloader, but apparently not the OnePlus 5, so you don't have to switch to a custom kernel to root.
To overcome this problem, the brilliant minds at XDA came up with system-less root. Chainfire was the first to implement it in SuperSU, but right now nobody uses SuperSU anymore. Magisk is the new kid in town,
and quite frankly much better IMO.
Q: Alright enough talk, how do I root the phone?
A: Patience my young Padawan. I will get to that in a moment. But here are some things you have to know.
1. Rooting involves unlocking your bootloader, and ALL YOUR DATA WILL BE WIPED. Keep a backup and move everything in your internal memory somewhere else.
2. Magisk may beat SafetyNet now, but there is no guarantee this will always be the case. So your SafetyNet enabled apps may not work all the time.
3. OTA updates from OnePlus will work differently when you are rooted. But hey that's what this guide is for. :good:
Easy rooting guide
1. Install ADB drivers.
2. Go into settings > about phone. Press the build no. a few times to activate developer options.
3. Turn on developer options, OEM unlocking and USB debugging.
4. Connect phone to PC and allow ADB access on phone. Wait for drivers to finish installing.
5. Download and install this simple tool on your PC.
6. Download one of the 2 TWRP recoveries below.
TWRP Official
xdvs23's TWRP
7. Open the All-in-One tool and make sure your device is recognised as OnePlus 5. Click on Unlock bootloader. Your bootloader is now unlocked and all your DATA WILL BE WIPED!
8. Select the "and boot it" arrow and click flash TWRP, click manual mode and choose the TWRP.img file you downloaded earlier.
9. After everything is done, your phone should now boot into TWRP successfully. Do not reboot yet.
10. On your PC, download the latest version of Magisk. Place the zip file onto your phone using USB and flash it with TWRP. Clear cache and reboot into system.
11. You should now see a new app called Magisk Manager. Check for updates!
12. However, do keep in mind not to mess around the system. If you need something, check to see if there any Magisk Modules available. There is also a small repo in the downloads section in Magisk Manager. Also Adaway works great with Magisk. Just make sure to turn on systemless host file in Magisk manager.
14. Congrats you are now rooted!:highfive:
Q: Alright now that I'm rooted, how do I get official updates?
A: 1. Download the latest OxygenOS from here. Download the full zip and NOT the OTA update. Place it on your phone. Make sure you also have your Magisk zip.
2. Boot into TWRP. Press the volume button when the bootloader unlocked screen comes up. Use volume buttons and power button to select recovery.
3. Flash the OxygenOS zip file. DO NOT reboot yet!
4. Tap the home button and flash Magisk. Clear cache.
5. Reboot into system and you are done!
Hope this guide is simple enough for you guys to understand. It might seem daunting at first, but practice makes perfect.
Also it is not a requirement to root, most people get by fine without ever rooting. But we are not like normal people, are we? Why else would we be on XDA then?
Further questions
Q1: Why Magisk and not SuperSU?
A: Besides the fact that Magisk is being constantly updated to bypass SafetyNet, it is also open-source. Wish I could say the same for SuperSU, the app is not what it used to be. Chainfire is no longer aware of the changes made in his app and I for one am not willing to take my chances with a shady developer. I had countless bad experiences with Chinese apps, many of them created by large companies. Check out this thread for more info.
Q2: Why exactly is HydrogenOS not recommended for use outside China?
A: Besides the aforementioned lack of Google apps, HydrogenOS is also tweaked differently from OxygenOS. It is significantly more aggressive in killing apps and not letting them run in the background, as you would expect with the number of rogue apps in China, made worse by the fact that there is no Play Store in China. OxygenOS on the other hand has a limit of 32 apps in memory, which I guess is a nice compromise between performance and battery life.

Reserved just in case. Probably will never need it though.

to be fair, there are still lots of people using SuperSU..

What should I do if I still want to use SuperSU?

2 noob questions @jasonwsc or anyone who knows
How about wiping dalvik and cache?
And how about encryption? Do I need to remove my fingerprint/security pattern before flashing OR rooting?
Thanks a lot for your help, the OP5 will be the first phone I can actually root. My old Xperia Z (2013) had a locked bootloader that was not unlockable haha.

ipredatorv said:
2 noob questions @jasonwsc or anyone who knows
How about wiping dalvik and cache?
And how about encryption? Do I need to remove my fingerprint/security pattern before flashing OR rooting?
Thanks a lot for your help, the OP5 will be the first phone I can actually root. My old Xperia Z (2013) had a locked bootloader that was not unlockable haha.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wiping Dalvik and cache is usually done after flashing a ROM in TWRP. Not that big of deal now that many apps use ART, but still good to do to prevent app crashes.
No need to remove fingerprint security before rooting.

iamelton said:
to be fair, there are still lots of people using SuperSU..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ningyou Higeki said:
What should I do if I still want to use SuperSU?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just flash SuperSU zip instead of Magisk.
I don't know why anyone still uses SuperSU though. For one, it's sold to a Chinese company and is no longer open source. Not to mention it doesn't pass SafetyNet at all.

jasonwsc said:
Wiping Dalvik and cache is usually done after flashing a ROM in TWRP. Not that big of deal now that many apps use ART, but still good to do to prevent app crashes.
No need to remove fingerprint security before rooting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the clarification!
I only asked about wiping dalvik/cache because some other people here recommended that, as it may help to fix my battery drain issue.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

ipredatorv said:
Thanks for the clarification!
I only asked about wiping dalvik/cache because some other people here recommended that, as it may help to fix my battery drain issue.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It might help with your battery drain issue, but chances are some apps are running in the background draining your battery.

Google services not working
I have installed oxygen OS in my chinese version OP5 following above method. However, after installing oxygen OS my google play store isnt working. When I open google play store, it stucks on checking info.

Nishatian1 said:
I have installed oxygen OS in my chinese version OP5 following above method. However, after installing oxygen OS my google play store isnt working. When I open google play store, it stucks on checking info.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a wild guess, but are you still in China? Check your VPN before trying to access the Google Playstore. Otherwise, remove the Playstore and download the most recent Playstore apk from a website like apkmirror. If they offer multiple versions, go for ARM 64.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

jasonwsc said:
Just flash SuperSU zip instead of Magisk.
I don't know why anyone still uses SuperSU though. For one, it's sold to a Chinese company and is no longer open source. Not to mention it doesn't pass SafetyNet at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm a little tired of tuning my phone now. And I don't care about SafetyNet. BTW, how's Magisk's compatibility now?

jasonwsc said:
Just flash SuperSU zip instead of Magisk.
I don't know why anyone still uses SuperSU though. For one, it's sold to a Chinese company and is no longer open source. Not to mention it doesn't pass SafetyNet at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got my Chinese OP5 two days ago and went through the whole procedure of unlocking, rooting, and flashing OxygenOS. Now I see that somebody took the time to write a nice guide on how to do it. Thanks @jasonwsc! I really wish I had this available to me already. I am sure it's gonna be a great help to others though!
I wasn't aware that SuperSU had been sold to a Chinese company through and that it is no longer open source. Knowing what I know now I regret flashing SuperSU yesterday and would love to switch to Magisk.
My question would be: what's the "proper way" to switch from SuperSU to Magisk? Just unroot via SuperSU and flash Magisk, or is there a better, cleaner way?
Edit:
Nevermind, just searched it and there's a super nice guide here.

Ningyou Higeki said:
I'm a little tired of tuning my phone now. And I don't care about SafetyNet. BTW, how's Magisk's compatibility now?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Magisk works fine, have no issues so far.

Hello,
I have the opportunity to receive an OP5T (128 GB)
from China. The ROM will be Hydrogen OS and not Oxygen OS.
I would like to be sure that the procedure used to install Oxygen OS will be the same as for the OP5?

Moazamali said:
Hello,
I have the opportunity to receive an OP5T (128 GB)
from China. The ROM will be Hydrogen OS and not Oxygen OS.
I would like to be sure that the procedure used to install Oxygen OS will be the same as for the OP5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it's the same. Just flash the firmware file for OP5T instead of the OP5.

i have international model oneplus 5. My phone was bricked, so i unbricked the phone by flashing h2os. I have rooted my phone with supersu and unrooted it again by flashing stock recovery. i want to now flash my phone with oxygenos. i have tried but no success. Please guide me with correct method.
Thanks

nayemohd said:
i have international model oneplus 5. My phone was bricked, so i unbricked the phone by flashing h2os. I have rooted my phone with supersu and unrooted it again by flashing stock recovery. i want to now flash my phone with oxygenos. i have tried but no success. Please guide me with correct method.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See here https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5/how-to/official-oxygenos-4-5-2-7-1-1-ota-t3627003 it might be useful to format internal storage.

strongst said:
See here https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5/how-to/official-oxygenos-4-5-2-7-1-1-ota-t3627003 it might be useful to format internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good morning all,
I have the same problem. Installed a H2os on a international oneplus 5.
Didn't like it so much so I formatted the system and installed the open beta 26.
However if I want to use the latest recovery either to clear cache or davlik cache I get a bunch of errors.
Any idea why?

kimon60 said:
Good morning all,
I have the same problem. Installed a H2os on a international oneplus 5.
Didn't like it so much so I formatted the system and installed the open beta 26.
However if I want to use the latest recovery either to clear cache or davlik cache I get a bunch of errors.
Any idea why?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which h2os version and which recovery version did you use(file names please)? What do you mean with formatting the system? What did you wipe or format exactly?

Doubt about Xposed and A/B partition devices

I have a doubt about xposed systems on A/B partitions, for if anyone knows about this (maybe Pixel users):
Let's say you have your full setup on any slot rocking it (let's say huge modifications like xposed & maybe others (twrp, magisk/supersu, custom kernel, etc) on slot A) and suddently an OTA comes and flashes new full stock rom version on slot B and tries to run it succesfully on next reboot. And suddently after the reboot you find yourself on the updated new stock version on slot B without xposed (and without twrp&others too) in a clean instalation.
Now in this scenario..
a) slot A (which should have the xposed system you were rocking before the OTA and the succesfull slot change) is untouched or it is ruined with a copy from slot B after the succesfull boot??
b) if slot A survived untouched, can you just do a "fastboot --set-active=a" command and just reboot into the xposed system like before the OTA, or this doesnt work after the OTA and is ruined in some way?
c) if b) works (it should right.. right?), will the system try do download the OTA again asap you boot the old version on the slot A?
d) there's any way to block the Update Engine from updating, for example to wait till xposed is adapted for new version. For us Xposed users, waiting till new xposed version comes is a mantra that we have to do, and if we can't block OTAs or just undo what the Update Engine does... we're screwed?
Anyone on this scenario? I'm considering getting an A/B phone but this thing looks like a headache for anyone who likes to flash stuff and specially xposed.. since everything else you can reflash it on the new version mostly in a matter of hours/few days, xposed takes months to adapt.
I'd be glad if any Pixel xposed user could shed light onto those questions.
Thanks!

Noone seriously?

I have p2xl. I am not sure how a/b slots work for sure.
What I do know is that I have turned off automatic automatic updates under developer settings. I manually flash the stock ota image from google via twrp. Then reflssh twrp, custom kernel, and then magisk, the m ahisk installer has an Xposed built for magisk.
I usually just check google ota domtime around the 5th or 6th of each month.

smartymcfly said:
I have p2xl. I am not sure how a/b slots work for sure.
What I do know is that I have turned off automatic automatic updates under developer settings. I manually flash the stock ota image from google via twrp. Then reflssh twrp, custom kernel, and then magisk, the m ahisk installer has an Xposed built for magisk.
I usually just check google ota domtime around the 5th or 6th of each month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting, so if you disable automatic updates, you never turned on the phone and found a clean installation without xposed and such?
thanks!

RusherDude said:
Interesting, so if you disable automatic updates, you never turned on the phone and dounf a clean installation without xposed and such?
thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If there is an update, it sends me a notification to ask if I want to update. And because xposed is installed I do not think it can actually follow through with the update on it's own because it breaks google's safetynet.
The only time I have turned on my phone and found it without magisk and root and xposed was when I 1st turned it on, and one time I had to do a factory restore when I did unlock bootloader because I also had to send another command that is only on pixel 2xl that to unlock_critical in addition to it. That is it.

smartymcfly said:
If there is an update, it sends me a notification to ask if I want to update. And because xposed is installed I do not think it can actually follow through with the update on it's own because it breaks google's safetynet.
The only time I have turned on my phone and found it without magisk and root and xposed was when I 1st turned it on, and one time I had to do a factory restore when I did unlock bootloader because I also had to send another command that is only on pixel 2xl that to unlock_critical in addition to it. That is it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome to hear
Btw, I don't think it would have a problem updating even if xposed is installing, normally the problem with incremental OTAs are if partitions are touched or not, and unlocking bootloader per se already breaks safetynet but OTAs can be installed, so safetynet is ignored, and in this A/B layout stuff would probably just be flashed on the other slot like if it had happened in the background. This is an interesting question if anyone knows it.

Installing OTAs on the Pixel 3 XL with Magisk Installed

Hello all,
On my new Pixel 3 XL, I installed Magisk immediately after doing the initial setup. I then tried taking the January 2019 OTA update (the phone was running the original build from September 2018) and installing the update using the instructions here for devices with A/B partitions: https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/tutorials.html#ota-installation
This however did not work and the update still failed to install. I ended up doing the upgrade manually via the bootloader but I would like to ask about how to handle this process for future updates. I am running the latest stable version of Magisk.
Thank you

Is it possible that /system or /vendor have been altered in some way? That would cause the OTA to fail...

Didgeridoohan said:
Is it possible that /system or /vendor have been altered in some way? That would cause the OTA to fail...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still pass SafetyNet though. Wouldn't modifying either of those cause it to fail?

David B. said:
I still pass SafetyNet though. Wouldn't modifying either of those cause it to fail?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a rule, you can do quite heavy modifications to both /system and/vendor and still pass SN. So, not necessarily...

Didgeridoohan said:
As a rule, you can do quite heavy modifications to both /system and/vendor and still pass SN. So, not necessarily...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I do use the Internal Audio Plugin which may write stuff to /system and/or /vendor. I am not sure though. I do not remember if I had it installed at that point though. I do have it installed now though. If it turns out that the app is the reason it's not working, hopefully I will be able to uninstall it when trying the OTA again.

Hi all. I have searched for information and have seen a lot and varied. I come to confirm more than anything and to know if you have a clear idea.
I have my 3XL pixel rooted with Magisk.
First question: With the root of magisk the system does NOT detect the new monthly update updates. Is this normal? I understood that I would detect it but that it would NOT let me update it.
As a result of that question I found this other ...
https : // topjohnwu. github.io/Magisk/tutorials.html (sorry, there are spaces)
I'm not sure if this tutorial is valid for the Pixel 3XL. I have reproduced it and ... or something I have not done well or is not compatible with our device.
The objective of all this is to know if, with the rooted phone, OTAs can be detected and, in case the answer is no, to know if there is any method like the one that Magisk proposes without having to download the OTA, install by the recovery and re-root with twrp.
I have not used any magisk module, but I do have Es File Explorer installed with root viewer, titanium backup and Swift Insaller. I do not think this has modified / system or / vendor.
Thanks and best regards!

ciltocruz said:
Hi all. I have searched for information and have seen a lot and varied. I come to confirm more than anything and to know if you have a clear idea.
I have my 3XL pixel rooted with Magisk.
First question: With the root of magisk the system does NOT detect the new monthly update updates. Is this normal? I understood that I would detect it but that it would NOT let me update it.
As a result of that question I found this other ...
https : // topjohnwu. github.io/Magisk/tutorials.html (sorry, there are spaces)
I'm not sure if this tutorial is valid for the Pixel 3XL. I have reproduced it and ... or something I have not done well or is not compatible with our device.
The objective of all this is to know if, with the rooted phone, OTAs can be detected and, in case the answer is no, to know if there is any method like the one that Magisk proposes without having to download the OTA, install by the recovery and re-root with twrp.
I have not used any magisk module, but I do have Es File Explorer installed with root viewer, titanium backup and Swift Insaller. I do not think this has modified / system or / vendor.
Thanks and best regards!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello,
The issue that you are describing is identical to what I observed during the February OTA update. It was not showing up on my phone. Supposedly if you wait long enough it will be detected, but I got impatient with waiting and just did it manually. It is worth noting however that when I got my Pixel 3 XL (I got it in January), I rooted it immediately before installing the January patches, and the behavior that you described as what should have happened is what I observed: the update was detected, but I could not install it. The odd thing about it was that even after uninstalling Magisk, I still could not get it to install and therefore ended up manually sideloading that update as well. It is worth noting that as part of that sideload, I chose to wipe the phone so that whatever modifications I must have made to /system or /vendor would be gone.
I am sorry that I could not provide any real help for this issue since I have been sideloading as a workaround. If you come up with a real solution to this, please let me know. Otherwise, you may want to just sideload manually.

David B. said:
Hello,
The issue that you are describing is identical to what I observed during the February OTA update. It was not showing up on my phone. Supposedly if you wait long enough it will be detected, but I got impatient with waiting and just did it manually. It is worth noting however that when I got my Pixel 3 XL (I got it in January), I rooted it immediately before installing the January patches, and the behavior that you described as what should have happened is what I observed: the update was detected, but I could not install it. The odd thing about it was that even after uninstalling Magisk, I still could not get it to install and therefore ended up manually sideloading that update as well. It is worth noting that as part of that sideload, I chose to wipe the phone so that whatever modifications I must have made to /system or /vendor would be gone.
I am sorry that I could not provide any real help for this issue since I have been sideloading as a workaround. If you come up with a real solution to this, please let me know. Otherwise, you may want to just sideload manually.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I see that there is no other option than to do it manually and reinstall magisk later every month ...

ciltocruz said:
I see that there is no other option than to do it manually and reinstall magisk later every month ...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well at this point I will not have a chance to test this belief out until March.

David B. said:
Well at this point I will not have a chance to test this belief out until March.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I rerooted the phone with Magisk and it's perfect.
Unfortunately, with the March update, my 3LX pixel will not notify me of this update and I will have to install it manually with adb.
Then I will have to manually re-root magisk. I can not find a way to make the magisk tutorial work so I do not have to do this manual process. I believe that Magisk modifies /vendor and /system and "to uninstall magisk with the boot_patched", to the new pixel 3 or to Android Pie does not matter to him because he knows what is happening.

ciltocruz said:
I rerooted the phone with Magisk and it's perfect.
Unfortunately, with the March update, my 3LX pixel will not notify me of this update and I will have to install it manually with adb.
Then I will have to manually re-root magisk. I can not find a way to make the magisk tutorial work so I do not have to do this manual process. I believe that Magisk modifies /vendor and /system and "to uninstall magisk with the boot_patched", to the new pixel 3 or to Android Pie does not matter to him because he knows what is happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am confused. How can you know what is going to happen with the March update when it has not been released yet?

David B. said:
I am confused. How can you know what is going to happen with the March update when it has not been released yet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nooooo Sorry, maybe I explained wrong.
I want to say that, like in January and February, when the March update is released, the Pixel 3XL, as it is rooted, will not recognize it. It will not give me the notice of a new update.
Better like that?

ciltocruz said:
Nooooo Sorry, maybe I explained wrong.
I want to say that, like in January and February, when the March update is released, the Pixel 3XL, as it is rooted, will not recognize it. It will not give me the notice of a new update.
Better like that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I understand. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. ?

David B. said:
Oh I understand. I suppose we'll just have to wait and see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed the March update via recovery. No problem. Then I have reinstalled Magisk with the TWRP image.
I still do not know how to make this tutorial for Pixel 3 work
https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/tutorials.html#ota-installation
Has anyone succeeded? The objective is:
- That the rooted phone detects the OTA.
- To be able to uninstall the root with the Magisk Manager application.
- To be able to install the OTA like any normal user.
- Be able to reinstall the root via Magisk Manager.
All without the need of adb, sideload, recovery, TWRP or anything "technical".
Greetings!

ciltocruz said:
I installed the March update via recovery. No problem. Then I have reinstalled Magisk with the TWRP image.
I still do not know how to make this tutorial for Pixel 3 work
https://topjohnwu.github.io/Magisk/tutorials.html#ota-installation
Has anyone succeeded? The objective is:
- That the rooted phone detects the OTA.
- To be able to uninstall the root with the Magisk Manager application.
- To be able to install the OTA like any normal user.
- Be able to reinstall the root via Magisk Manager.
All without the need of adb, sideload, recovery, TWRP or anything "technical".
Greetings!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also had to install the update via recovery, as the option to use the built-in updater was not detecting that the update was available again. Perhaps it's time we ask @topjohnwu Magisk Queries/ @topjohnwu about this?

I've seen (and commented in) at least 4 previous threads reporting the same issue with OTA updates and none of them have been taken seriously or prompted any kind of further investigation. Oh well, 5th time lucky perhaps?
Anyway, I have exactly the same issue with my Pixel 2; I used to receive notifications for OTA updates back when I was running on Oreo with Magisk, but after updating to Pie in September 2018 I haven't received a single new OTA notification.
Pie was installed from the factory image, including a device wipe, so it was a completely fresh start. I've also tried reflashing system.img and vendor.img just in case those partitions somehow got modified at some point, but it made no difference. My device simply will not detect new OTA updates, so my only option is to sideload the update and reflash magisk every month.
As per a previous post of mine, I found other reports of the same issue on Reddit and the common factors seemed to be Pixel devices, Pie and Magisk.

nogaff said:
I've seen (and commented in) at least 4 previous threads reporting the same issue with OTA updates and none of them have been taken seriously or prompted any kind of further investigation. Oh well, 5th time lucky perhaps?
Anyway, I have exactly the same issue with my Pixel 2; I used to receive notifications for OTA updates back when I was running on Oreo with Magisk, but after updating to Pie in September 2018 I haven't received a single new OTA notification.
Pie was installed from the factory image, including a device wipe, so it was a completely fresh start. I've also tried reflashing system.img and vendor.img just in case those partitions somehow got modified at some point, but it made no difference. My device simply will not detect new OTA updates, so my only option is to sideload the update and reflash magisk every month.
As per a previous post of mine, I found other reports of the same issue on Reddit and the common factors seemed to be Pixel devices, Pie and Magisk.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's odd about my situation is that when I first got the phone and rooted the image that it came with (September 2018), I did get the OTA notification. I just could not get it to install even after following the Magisk uninstallation steps provided in the official Magisk tutorial. It's only a minor inconvenience and I can live with it, but the fact that it happens still bothers me.

David B. said:
What's odd about my situation is that when I first got the phone and rooted the image that it came with (September 2018), I did get the OTA notification. I just could not get it to install even after following the Magisk uninstallation steps provided in the official Magisk tutorial. It's only a minor inconvenience and I can live with it, but the fact that it happens still bothers me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This happened to me too. I put the root and the first OTA did arrive but, because I had root, I could not install. I had to do it manually with adb.

ciltocruz said:
This happened to me too. I put the root and the first OTA did arrive but, because I had root, I could not install. I had to do it manually with adb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try using the tutorial as well?

David B. said:
Did you try using the tutorial as well?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but with my rooted device the notification of NEW UPDATE does not appear. I know I can not INSTALL it, but is there also no update notice? This is what I need. An update notice.
With that warning I will be able to patch the boot image with magisk and then I will be able to download and install the OTA. Then re-rooted and ready.

May 2020 QQ2A.200501.001.B2 "FLAME" Magisk-Patched Boot Img [+UPDATE/KEEP ROOT GUIDE]

May 2020 QQ2A.200501.001.B2 "FLAME" Magisk-Patched Boot Img [+UPDATE/KEEP ROOT GUIDE]
Another month, another update. I'll keep churning out these patched / stock file uploads and easy noob-friendly update guides while guinea pigging the updates, so long as my area is still on lockdown and I'm not back to work yet, lol.
I've also installed and tested / verified that Kirisakura 4.2.0 is working great with this month's patch so far.
Also have EdXposed Canary 0.5.0.0 (4548) YAHFA installed. SafetyNet still passing as of now.
Magisk v20.4 Patched Boot Image: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=4349826312261796525
Factory Untouched Boot Image: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=4349826312261796524
THESE FILES ARE FOR 10.0.0 (QQ2A.200501.001.B2, May 2020, All carriers except TW) ONLY! PLEASE ONLY FLASH IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
If these files and/or guides are helpful, please drop a thanks and let me know. =)

EASY UPDATE / SEAMLESS KEEP-ROOT UPDATE PROCESS (using a PC - a very intuitive, effective, and relatively safe method).
** You can only follow this guide exactly if coming from build QQ2A.200405.005, Apr 2020. But the general idea is the same for other builds, you just need the correct files for your device.
flame-qq2a.200405.005-factory-dtbo.img: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=4349826312261796522
flame-qq2a.200405.005-factory-boot.img: https://www.androidfilehost.com/?fid=4349826312261763724
May 2020 sideload OTA zip: https://dl.google.com/dl/android/aosp/flame-ota-qq2a.200501.001.b2-46940f66.zip
I DID NOT BOOT BACK INTO O/S UNTIL ALL STEPS WERE COMPLETED - I DID THIS TO ENSURE EVERYTHING WOULD BOOT BACK UP WITH MAGISK / EDXPOSED ALL RUNNING PROPERLY RIGHT AWAY
1. boot into bootloader
----------------
** I was on custom kernel, so I needed to flash BOTH the stock boot and dtbo images
2. fastboot flash boot flame-qq2a.200405.005-factory-boot.img
3. fastboot flash dtbo flame-qq2a.200405.005-factory-dtbo.img
......* these steps to restore stock recovery; dtbo.img also necessary for some kernel installations
-----------------
4. use volume keys to change selection to boot to Recovery Mode
......- when you reach the android symbol with No Command, hold power button, tap volume up, in case you've forgotten
5. choose option "Apply update from ADB"
6. adb sideload flame-ota-qq2a.200501.001.b2-46940f66.zip
7. Once the OTA sideload is done, Reboot to bootloader (you'll also notice it's now on the other slot after OTA flashed)
8. fastboot flash boot flame-qq2a.200501.001.b2-magisk_patched-20.4.img
9. done, start the phone
(Optional - Flash custom kernel. If you had a custom kernel, you need to re-flash it. I've only personally tested with Kirisakura though.)
This was a 100% seamless update that required no additional / re-setup of any of my Magisk or EdXposed setups. All of the factory files can be found here https://developers.google.com/android/images. boot.img and dtbo.img are in their corresponding full Factory Image zips, and the ota zip is under Full OTA Images.

Thank you for making this so convenient!

ahalol said:
Thank you for making this so convenient!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
:highfive:
You can thank my wife for going with the P4 instead of P4XL . Now gives me 2 phones to keep up with, although they're basically identical in process. Might as well share with yall over on this board, which seems to get a little less love and attention. But we're definitely lovin the switch to Pixels. Awesome camera too, which is great because we just had our first child 4 months ago and these phones take amazing photos. And this is coming from 2 phones that already had great cameras (HTC U11 and U12+)! I love taking photos when he's sleeping using Night Sight mode. He's so adorable, it comes out so clean, and there's just something about that sleepy ambience .

i just saw on my google news feed that the May patch just started dropping to our devices. i go check XDA and this post is already here. wow that was fast haha! went perfectly smoothly just like last month, thanks so much!!

Why not update the OTA via Magisk, or is this only for those which devices is not able to download OTA:s?
Currently, I have rooted with Magisk, still waiting for OTA update notification in my device...

Should i restore images in Magisk and/or disable any modules or just let 'er rip?!

Vantskruv said:
Why not update the OTA via Magisk, or is this only for those which devices is not able to download OTA:s?
Currently, I have rooted with Magisk, still waiting for OTA update notification in my device...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
redeyss said:
Should i restore images in Magisk and/or disable any modules or just let 'er rip?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@Vantskruv: FYI, you won't get the OTA update notification because you're modified right now. You can restore the boot image in Magisk first and wait for the OTA notification (what you're thinking of is something like this: https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-4-xl/how-to/guide-update-retain-root-t4003839). But from what I understand, it's pretty hit or miss. Apparently it's hit or miss even on complete bone stock anyway lol. The method I outlined just works nice and reliably even when rooted and modded.
@redeyss: Restoring the stock boot image in Magisk Manager is similar to the method linked above, and then taking the OTA the normal way. But if you flashed a custom kernel, keep it mind it won't restore the dtbo partition (not sure if it's necessary with that method tbh). You shouldn't need to restore images in Magisk, nor diable any modules. When you flash the factory April boot and dtbo images, it's doing the same thing as restoring the images through Magisk (plus dtbo). Just let er rip, and if you have any issues, you can always flash the new unmodified factory boot image, which will essentially disable Magisk, and then work from there. It's a very safe method. =)
edit: also in the event of bootloop, this is a great thread to read and understand: https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-4/how-to/magisk-modules-disabler-booting-magisk-t3991739

Thank you @i5lee8bit for your answer. Luckily I have restrained myself yesterday to update, thought I where in the Pixel 4XL thread, while this is for the Pixel 4. :laugh:
I am just curious, do any of you expert guys/girls know why this is happening, that OTA updates is not pushed on rooted phones?
Do Google have algorithms that temporarily bans systems which is rooted?
Or is it so simple that some type of fingerprint is changed when rooted, so Google update services does not recognise the device, and not pushing OTA:s?
Sorry for the questions, no need to answer them. It was a long time ago I rooted Android:s, and I have forgot many things.
I think I will try to manually update everything, even though there are more steps included, just to learn how to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZY8qiz2SZ0

Vantskruv said:
Thank you @i5lee8bit for your answer. Luckily I have restrained myself yesterday to update, thought I where in the Pixel 4XL thread, while this is for the Pixel 4. :laugh:
I am just curious, do any of you expert guys/girls know why this is happening, that OTA updates is not pushed on rooted phones?
Do Google have algorithms that temporarily bans systems which is rooted?
Or is it so simple that some type of fingerprint is changed when rooted, so Google update services does not recognise the device, and not pushing OTA:s?
Sorry for the questions, no need to answer them. It was a long time ago I rooted Android:s, and I have forgot many things.
I think I will try to manually update everything, even though there are more steps included, just to learn how to do it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZY8qiz2SZ0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries, the process for the 4XL is the exact same, but good catch; you definitely need to use the correct files for the device. I actually posted a similar thread with the relevant 4XL files over on that forum.
Not sure exactly the mechanism used to prevent the normal OTA, but probably just checks for a modified boot partition. In any case, the normal factory OTA if I understand correctly relies in part on factory recovery commands at some point, and a modified boot partition won't be able to use them. In fact, try booting to recovery with the modified boot partition flashed and you'll notice it can't load recovery. I may be wrong about the exact reason though. But think about it: even if we had TWRP, the factory OTA mechanism can't make use of it. Even if the OTA popped up while rooted, it probably wouldn't be able to do it, or worse, cause a failure and corruption. I would dare say we're fortunate they prevent factory OTA when running modified.
Anyway, there are a lot of complicated guides out there, and that's why I wanted to share my method. I didn't need to do any further research and it's very intuitively sound. Steps 2+3 essentially restore stock boot and therefore recovery (and dtbo), the rest pretty much follows a standard OTA sideload, and then it's structured in such a way that you're flashing the new Magisk patched boot image before even starting the phone back up. Making it a seamless, keep-root easy upgrade.

Wow ..... what an easy, elegant way to get my Coral device updated while keeping root. Followed the OP process, but used these commands instead to get the June 2020 security update:
- fastboot flash boot coral-qq3a.200605.001-factory-boot.img
- fastboot flash dtbo coral-qq3a.200605.001-factory-dtbo.img
- adb sideload coral-ota-qq3a.200605.001-3b5bb1bd.zip
- fastboot flash boot coral-qq3a.200605.001-magisk_patched-20.4.img
Thanks, @i5lee8bit . Well done. :good:

does anyone have a thread to point me to that is a step by step guide for setting up ADB and how to flash? I did everything a year ago but now I just factory reset and am stuck in boot loop, can't remember all the commands and everything.

in_dmand said:
does anyone have a thread to point me to that is a step by step guide for setting up ADB and how to flash? I did everything a year ago but now I just factory reset and am stuck in boot loop, can't remember all the commands and everything.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you fix the issue?

[GUIDE] Full process of installing Magisk & TWRP on a OnePlus 7 Pro (TMOBILE SUPPORT)

For me, pwning my new phone was a 7-hour process that required incredible learning capacity. Not everyone is prepared to go through a process like that, and it can easily take multiple days or weeks. This is a guide outlining a version of the exact process that got me to this point. It should be easy for anyone to follow, even people without much technical knowledge. (although, do be careful with the resulting root access)
I started with a GM1915, which is the T-Mobile model. You'd think it would require an unlock key from T-Mobile in order to work, but actually it doesn't. That's what they don't want you to know.
A well-known method for bypassing that requirement is to install an international OS and then upgrade it to a certain developer preview, causing the phone to update the bootloader to a non-crippled version that doesn't require an unlock key. So that's what I did.
However, the process is easier said than done. For someone like me who's done it, it's not too hard, but for a beginner it's intensely confusing. I was a beginner just yesterday and struggled with dumb error messages like "packed image not exist".
The guide is below. Sections starting with "T-MOBILE ONLY" and ending with "END OF T-MOBILE ONLY" are only to be performed on T-Mobile phones with T-Mobile firmware and a locked bootloader. If you have an unlocked bootloader then you can skip those steps.
Make sure you have a Windows machine. The Qualcomm drivers are only available for Windows, the programs are only available for Windows, people on this forum only know Windows. I have a Mac, personally, because Unix is awesome, but unfortunately nobody has thought about us and all the tools are Windows-only. I am just as disappointed as you, trust me. I used a virtual machine, but YMMV, depending on how good your hypervisor's USB passthrough is. You may want to use bare metal if you only have VirtualBox; it's not worth the effort. You will be hot plugging A LOT, and your phone will show up as many different types of USB devices.
You must have fastboot installed, but ADB is not required.
--- T-MOBILE ONLY ---
Install the "L2 drivers" for the phone. You can find them here. Just install as many of them as you can by right-clicking every `.inf` file you find and clicking Install on each one of them. Some of them will have missing files. Some of them won't have a signature. It doesn't matter, as long as you try every one of them, something will work. For me it was the 64-bit driver, in the 64 folder. All the others are 32-bit.
--- END OF T-MOBILE ONLY ---
You should probably plug the phone into your computer now and install the official OnePlus drivers as well. This is so that you can easily access the phone storage, which will become very important soon. Reboot your computer to apply the driver updates.
--- T-MOBILE ONLY ---
Download the "MSM Download Tool" from here (same link as above). Place it in its own folder. This is crucial because you must now download the guacamole-whatever.7z file and extract the .ots file into the same folder as the MSM Download Tool.
MSM Download Tool always looks in its folder for the image and pops up a cryptic error message if it's not found ("packed image not exist"). This is not very widely documented because MSM Download Tool is often distributed in the same folder as the image anyway. That's not the case when you are forced to download them as separate files.
Note that this is the only time you will have to use MSM Download Tool and all other updates can be installed by the phone itself. On international variants you don't have to do this because the bootloader will already be unlockable, which is why this is T-Mobile only.
You need to start downloading three updates. This patched version of international OOS is where you will start, the developer beta will upgrade the bootloader, and the full downgrade will roll you back so you can start updating. Start the downloads now, but you do not have to wait for them to finish yet; it will be a few steps before you have to use them.
Now is about the time to back up any data you want to keep. Everything on your phone will be wiped by the next step, including bootloader unlock status, all your data, the entire operating system and so on.
Now it's time to install international OOS. Place it inside the folder with MSM Download Tool and then start it up. Uncheck the SHA-256 checkbox!
Unplug your USB cable and THEN turn off your phone completely. If the USB cable is plugged in while it's turned off, it will automatically boot into the charging mode which is not what you want. Have your USB cable, and computer mouse, on the ready. You don't want to waste any time, because this may be physically painful: Hold down both volume buttons at the same time for at least 5 seconds, and then plug the USB cable into your phone. Make sure some COM port appears in the tool, then click the "Start" button in MSM Download Tool WHILE STILL HOLDING THEM DOWN. You can only let the volume buttons go AFTER you click "Start", or else the phone will drop out of EDL mode into fastboot.
The process will take a few minutes depending on how fast your USB connection is. Leave the phone plugged in until it is complete. This also gives time to download those two updates, which are together about four gigabytes in size.
Once MSM Download Tool is done flashing, you can reboot the phone and set it up using the setup wizard. Feel free to move fast and enable nothing. You don't need internet, you don't need a correct clock, you don't need accounts or telemetry or anything like that. All data will be wiped again later.
Use your computer to copy the developer preview update to the phone. Don't copy it to the Download folder or anything, copy it into the root (just inside the internal storage). Go to settings > local updates > settings icon in the top right > local update and update to the developer preview.
Once you're in the developer preview, enable OEM unlocking in developer options, reboot into fastboot mode (I do this by also enabling advanced reboot in developer options) and use fastboot oem unlock. Your bootloader is now unlocked! But we're not nearly done yet, there's still lots to do.
After rebooting, since the unlock wiped the phone, you'll have to set it up again. Just breeze through like before, then copy the rollback zip to the phone just like you did for the developer preview.
Go to local update again and use the rollback. This is required in order to go back to a stable OS that can accept OTAs. After this your data will be wiped. This is the real setup wizard. You can set it up with real data; your data will not be wiped again for the rest of this guide.
--- END OF T-MOBILE ONLY ---
If your bootloader is not already unlocked, enable OEM unlocking in developer options and then run `fastboot oem unlock` in Fastboot mode.
Next, you will want to install Magisk. This is a slightly complex process but once it's done your phone will become fully untethered.
First download a tool called Payload Dumper. Extract the entire archive into its own folder. Get an OTA update for your version of OxygenOS (if your phone is T-Mobile, that is the rollback update you just installed; if you aren't following the T-Mobile guide, you may have to download an OTA update from Google), and use WinRAR or similar to extract the `payload.bin` inside into the payload dumper's input folder.
Run the payload dumper. You don't need to run all of it; wait for "boot" to show up in the console window, then wait until something else shows up and then close the window. Inside the output folder there should be a `boot.img`; there may be other img files but the boot is what we're interested in.
Transfer this boot.img to your device and use Magisk Manager to patch it. Transfer the magisk_patched.img to your computer, reboot the phone into fastboot mode and use `fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img`. Reboot the phone into Android.
If you start Magisk Manager you should see that Magisk is installed. Great. Next step is to install TWRP.
In my experience, flashing TWRP or using `fastboot boot twrp.img` didn't work. You're not clever if you try installing OxygenOS 9.5.4 which adds `fastboot boot` support to the bootloader; it still won't work. In my experience the only correct way to install TWRP on the OnePlus 7 Pro is to use Magisk.
(Someone in the replies below stated that you need to upgrade all the way to OOS 10 in order to boot TWRP using fastboot. This guide details the easier method using Magisk Manager.)
On the phone, go to the TWRP downloads page for the OnePlus 7 Pro, and download the latest installer. Then flash the zip using Magisk.
Crucially, at the end of the installer log it says "you are now unrooted". DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE! If you reboot now, Magisk will be gone and the stock ROM will immediately overwrite TWRP. You must use Magisk Manager to reinstall Magisk using a "Direct Install". That way, your boot.img will be patched again and your Magisk (and TWRP) will persist across reboots.
Go ahead and try it out. Reboot a few times, sometimes into recovery, sometimes into Android to test Magisk.
We're still not done yet. Wouldn't you love to stay rooted and still be running the latest version of OxygenOS? I sure would. Next I'll describe the process of applying an OTA update while keeping your root and everything. Thanks to A/B you can stay untethered.
Please note that, if you'd like to proceed with the EU version of OxygenOS, you should go grab 9.5.4 before proceeding to the next step, for example from here (MD5 fcec14e2ec053d67c793a27bfdef17d0), and use local update to install it. (note GM21BA instead of GM21AA) The EU version is supposed to have better privacy options and less bloatware, so that's what I personally went with. Converting your OxygenOS from GM21AA to GM21BA has no harmful side effects and should work on any phone. It affects the OTA you'll receive in the next step, and this is possibly the only chance you'll get to switch (or not). So choose wisely.
You can find other versions of OOS in this XDA post.
Remember to turn off all auto-updating in the OxygenOS settings. You don't want your phone suddenly losing Magisk and TWRP after any old reboot. Then you can use the OxygenOS updater to accept an official OTA update. It will recognize you're rooted and install an entire fresh new system to your inactive slot, which is exactly what we want.
There are two steps you need to perform before rebooting. The first is TWRP persistence and the second is Magisk persistence. For TWRP persistence you need to go into Magisk Manager and flash a module called "TWRP A/B retention script". Then for Magisk persistence you need to go install Magisk again, but this time to the inactive slot. You must do TWRP persistence first.
After this you should be good to go back to the update screen and hit reboot. You should still have TWRP and Magisk, but now on the very latest version of OxygenOS. Customize your phone to your heart's content now; it's all yours.
Recommended tweaks:
- install a Magisk module called "Debloater (Terminal Emulator)". Install a terminal emulator like Termux and use `su` to enter a root shell. Then you can run `debloat` and go through the list of apps, removing things you don't want. Certain services need to be watched out for, like PlayAutoInstallConfig (lets your carrier silently install apps without your consent). You can find tidbits online explaining what certain things do, like this pastebin, or this one. Houdini is the kernel driver which is very important.
- enable MagiskHide and hide yourself from Netflix and other DRM-enabled apps. Also hide yourself from Google Play's snet service.
- there is a Magisk module called F-Droid Privileged Extension, it's quite nice.
- use MagiskHide Props Config to set `net.tethering.noprovisioning=true`. This will prevent the carrier from knowing when you are using hotspot features, so they will not immediately cut your connection
- don't install a custom ROM. OxygenOS is high quality and everything you could ever want from a phone honestly. It has all the drivers and stuff for the phone and all of that cool stuff.
Small curiosities:
- SMT download mode is a special flashing mode used by the factory and it can overwrite things like the IMEI. Don't mess with it, you do not know what you're doing.
- Now that you have the software, you can literally just install a Dual SIM tray and have dual SIMs. Your phone is essentially the same as the international OP7P
- Feel free to post if you have any issues or need help with something.

Thank you mate. This will help out a lot of people coming to one plus such as myself. Only wonder I have about it all is the dual sim. I have 2 imei now but obviously both are the same. So I'm trying to figure out how that would work.

TheMadScientist said:
Thank you mate. This will help out a lot of people coming to one plus such as myself. Only wonder I have about it all is the dual sim. I have 2 imei now but obviously both are the same. So I'm trying to figure out how that would work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, same here. Dual SIM phones are required to have two IMEI numbers since they technically have two transceivers, one for each SIM. Maybe one day someone will post a guide on how to change your IMEI numbers? You could keep one and change the other.

Today I had a little incident with SafetyNet.
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I had installed the magisk modules Riru and Riru - EdXposed. Big mistake. Uninstalling them didn't fix it. Reinstalling the OS didn't fix it. I thought I was totally ****ed. However, toggling MagiskHide off and back on again and clearing Google Play Services' data seems to have fixed it:
Phew. This SafetyNet guide really helped
EDIT: Also make sure to clear Play Store's data so it re-checks your device for certification.

LoganDark said:
Yeah, same here. Dual SIM phones are required to have two IMEI numbers since they technically have two transceivers, one for each SIM. Maybe one day someone will post a guide on how to change your IMEI numbers? You could keep one and change the other.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately we can't discuss that on xda.

TheMadScientist said:
Unfortunately we can't discuss that on xda.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Software spoofing is allowed. EMS flashing is not.

Riru - EdXposed seems to pass SafetyNet if you use HiddenCore module (and DO NOT BLACKLIST GOOGLE SERVICES or else they will not get patched and they will fail you). I haven't checked to see how deep this goes. Perhaps third party apps which do their own SafetyNet check will see through it. Anyone here with experience?
Edit: BAD ADVICE DO NOT USE HIDDENCORE IT WILL BREAK SAFETYNET EVEN MORE

Well I got to say your guide it's good. But the part where you can only install twrp with magisk I got to say no there. All you have to do is use the roll back package and then update your phone with the first update it allows in system update. That should put you on Oxygen os android 10. Then fastboot will work. Did it myself so I know. Best regards

LokifiedMee said:
Well I got to say your guide it's good. But the part where you can only install twrp with magisk I got to say no there. All you have to do is use the roll back package and then update your phone with the first update it allows in system update. That should put you on Oxygen os android 10. Then fastboot will work. Did it myself so I know. Best regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People seem to have mixed luck regarding using fastboot to boot TWRP. I understand upgrading the bootloader can enable additional fastboot capabilities which is why I tried it myself. It didn't work for me so that's why this guide takes the safer/guaranteed approach.
I did only upgrade to a later version of OOS 9, though. It added `fastboot boot` but trying it softlocked the phone.
Note that in either case, the OnePlus 7 Pro's recovery is stored in the boot partition, and flashing a zip using Magisk is easier than flashing one with TWRP.
I have revised the post to acknowledge the alternative method.
(Also, it's worth mentioning that I know anyone following this guide probably knows how to flash a zip in TWRP. I'm not saying that's too complicated, but the guide details the process I followed specifically. There are many other guides online detailing alternative methods, but they did not work for me, which is why I made this one.)

LoganDark said:
People seem to have mixed luck regarding using fastboot to boot TWRP. I understand upgrading the bootloader can enable additional fastboot capabilities which is why I tried it myself. It didn't work for me so that's why this guide takes the safer/guaranteed approach.
I did only upgrade to a later version of OOS 9, though. It added `fastboot boot` but trying it softlocked the phone.
Note that in either case, the OnePlus 7 Pro's recovery is stored in the boot partition, and flashing a zip using Magisk is easier than flashing one with TWRP.
I have revised the post to acknowledge the alternative method.
(Also, it's worth mentioning that I know anyone following this guide probably knows how to flash a zip in TWRP. I'm not saying that's too complicated, but the guide details the process I followed specifically. There are many other guides online detailing alternative methods, but they did not work for me, which is why I made this one.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No worries mate. Just giving you the heads up. Cheers

I'm unsure how to flash twrp using magisk. I used a friend's machine to flash magisk last night but don't have access now. I'm waiting on asusurion to send mine back. I stayed on the beta and updated to the latest. Would flashing or booting into twrp be possible? Thanks for the guide, btw

Leskanic said:
I'm unsure how to flash twrp using magisk. I used a friend's machine to flash magisk last night but don't have access now. I'm waiting on asusurion to send mine back. I stayed on the beta and updated to the latest. Would flashing or booting into twrp be possible? Thanks for the guide, btw
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies for the late reply.
Download the "twrp-installer" zip file and use Magisk to flash it.
After that, you have to "direct install" Magisk again.

I guess my question is which option do i use in magisk to flash the twrp installer zip file? Do I use the install module from storage option or in the section where you patch files? Could i just use terminal emulator to boot into twrp then flash twrp and magisk while I'm in twrp? Sorry for my ignorance it's been a couple years since I've had Android with an unlocked bootloader and not having my laptop doesn't help

Leskanic said:
I guess my question is which option do i use in magisk to flash the twrp installer zip file? Do I use the install module from storage option or in the section where you patch files? Could i just use terminal emulator to boot into twrp then flash twrp and magisk while I'm in twrp? Sorry for my ignorance it's been a couple years since I've had Android with an unlocked bootloader and not having my laptop doesn't help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The TWRP installer zip is just a Magisk module that you can flash by going to the modules section and tapping "install from storage".
Basically, step 1: go into this section and install the twrp-installer zip this way
Step 2: go here
and direct install Magisk like this
Yes, you are installing Magisk again. That is because the TWRP installer overwrote it, and if you rebooted, you would lose root (and the stock ROM would immediately overwrite TWRP, leaving your device completely stock)
As for flashing both things via TWRP, you would probably flash TWRP first and then Magisk. If you can get the phone to boot into TWRP in the first place, yeah it's probably possible and many others have probably installed their TWRP+Magisk that way.

Thanks i didn't realize the twrp installer zip could be flashed as a module. Sorry it's been a while and I'm trying to get back up to speed

I have a few XPrivacyLua hooks that can be used to change your model number to GM1917 (at least to Java apps). It doesn't have any side effects except peace of mind.
Add these using the XPrivacyLua Pro companion app (you don't need to buy Pro to edit hooks), MAKE SURE to enter GM1917 in the model text box and save, enable them for every app including system apps in XPrivacyLua, and reboot.
Enjoy

LoganDark said:
For me, pwning my new phone was a 7-hour process that required incredible learning capacity. Not everyone is prepared to go through a process like that, and it can easily take multiple days or weeks. This is a guide outlining a version of the exact process that got me to this point. It should be easy for anyone to follow, even people without much technical knowledge. (although, do be careful with the resulting root access)
I started with a GM1915, which is the T-Mobile model. You'd think it would require an unlock key from T-Mobile in order to work, but actually it doesn't. That's what they don't want you to know.
A well-known method for bypassing that requirement is to install an international OS and then upgrade it to a certain developer preview, causing the phone to update the bootloader to a non-crippled version that doesn't require an unlock key. So that's what I did.
However, the process is easier said than done. For someone like me who's done it, it's not too hard, but for a beginner it's intensely confusing. I was a beginner just yesterday and struggled with dumb error messages like "packed image not exist".
The guide is below. Sections starting with "T-MOBILE ONLY" and ending with "END OF T-MOBILE ONLY" are only to be performed on T-Mobile phones with T-Mobile firmware and a locked bootloader. If you have an unlocked bootloader then you can skip those steps.
Make sure you have a Windows machine. The Qualcomm drivers are only available for Windows, the programs are only available for Windows, people on this forum only know Windows. I have a Mac, personally, because Unix is awesome, but unfortunately nobody has thought about us and all the tools are Windows-only. I am just as disappointed as you, trust me. I used a virtual machine, but YMMV, depending on how good your hypervisor's USB passthrough is. You may want to use bare metal if you only have VirtualBox; it's not worth the effort. You will be hot plugging A LOT, and your phone will show up as many different types of USB devices.
You must have fastboot installed, but ADB is not required.
--- T-MOBILE ONLY ---
Install the "L2 drivers" for the phone. You can find them here. Just install as many of them as you can by right-clicking every `.inf` file you find and clicking Install on each one of them. Some of them will have missing files. Some of them won't have a signature. It doesn't matter, as long as you try every one of them, something will work. For me it was the 64-bit driver, in the 64 folder. All the others are 32-bit.
--- END OF T-MOBILE ONLY ---
You should probably plug the phone into your computer now and install the official OnePlus drivers as well. This is so that you can easily access the phone storage, which will become very important soon. Reboot your computer to apply the driver updates.
--- T-MOBILE ONLY ---
Download the "MSM Download Tool" from here (same link as above). Place it in its own folder. This is crucial because you must now download the guacamole-whatever.7z file and extract the .ots file into the same folder as the MSM Download Tool.
MSM Download Tool always looks in its folder for the image and pops up a cryptic error message if it's not found ("packed image not exist"). This is not very widely documented because MSM Download Tool is often distributed in the same folder as the image anyway. That's not the case when you are forced to download them as separate files.
Note that this is the only time you will have to use MSM Download Tool and all other updates can be installed by the phone itself. On international variants you don't have to do this because the bootloader will already be unlockable, which is why this is T-Mobile only.
Start the MSM Downloader tool and make sure that it's open and ready. Uncheck the SHA-256 checkbox!
You need to start downloading two updates. The developer beta will upgrade the bootloader, and the full downgrade will give you a reference boot.img to use for Magisk. Start the downloads now, but you do not have to wait for them to finish yet; it will be a few steps before you have to use them.
Now is about the time to back up any data you want to keep. Everything on your phone will be wiped by the next step, including bootloader unlock status, all your data, the entire operating system and so on.
Unplug your USB cable and THEN turn off your phone completely. If the USB cable is plugged in while it's turned off, it will automatically boot into the charging mode which is not what you want. Have your USB cable, and computer mouse, on the ready. You don't want to waste any time, because this may be physically painful: Hold down both volume buttons at the same time for at least 5 seconds, and then plug the USB cable into your phone. Make sure some COM port appears in the tool, then click the "Start" button in MSM Download Tool WHILE STILL HOLDING THEM DOWN. You can only let the volume buttons go AFTER you click "Start", or else the phone will drop out of MSM mode.
The process will take a few minutes depending on how fast your USB connection is. Leave the phone plugged in until it is complete. This also gives time to download those two updates, which are together about four gigabytes in size.
Once MSM Download Tool is done flashing, you can reboot the phone and set it up using the setup wizard. This one will be overwritten, so feel free to move fast and enable nothing. You don't need internet, you don't need a correct clock, you don't need accounts or telemetry or anything like that. All data will be wiped again later.
Use your computer to copy both updates (developer preview & rollback) to the phone. Don't copy them to the Download folder or anything, copy them into the root. Go to settings > local updates > settings icon in the top right > local update and update to the developer preview.
Once you're in the developer preview, enable OEM unlocking in developer options, reboot into fastboot mode (I do this by also enabling advanced reboot in developer options) and use `fastboot oem unlock`. Your bootloader is now unlocked! But we're not nearly done yet, there's still lots to do.
Go to local update again and use the rollback. This is required in order to go back to a stable OS that can accept OTAs. After this your data will be wiped. This is the real setup wizard. You can set it up with real data; your data will not be wiped again for the rest of this guide.
--- END OF T-MOBILE ONLY ---
If your bootloader is not already unlocked, enable OEM unlocking in developer options and then run `fastboot oem unlock` in Fastboot mode.
Next, you will want to install Magisk. This is a slightly complex process but once it's done your phone will become fully untethered.
First download a tool called Payload Dumper. Extract the entire archive into its own folder. Get an OTA update for your version of OxygenOS (if your phone is T-Mobile, that is the rollback update you just installed; if you aren't following the T-Mobile guide, you may have to download an OTA update from Google), and use WinRAR or similar to extract the `payload.bin` inside into the payload dumper's input folder.
Run the payload dumper. You don't need to run all of it; wait for "boot" to show up in the console window, then wait until something else shows up and then close the window. Inside the output folder there should be a `boot.img`; there may be other img files but the boot is what we're interested in.
Transfer this boot.img to your device and use Magisk Manager to patch it. Transfer the magisk_patched.img to your computer, reboot the phone into fastboot mode and use `fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img`. Reboot the phone into Android.
If you start Magisk Manager you should see that Magisk is installed. Great. Next step is to install TWRP.
In my experience, flashing TWRP or using `fastboot boot twrp.img` didn't work. You're not clever if you try installing OxygenOS 9.5.4 which adds `fastboot boot` support to the bootloader; it still won't work. In my experience the only correct way to install TWRP on the OnePlus 7 Pro is to use Magisk.
(Someone in the replies below stated that you need to upgrade all the way to OOS 10 in order to boot TWRP using fastboot. This guide details the easier method using Magisk Manager.)
On the phone, go to the TWRP downloads page for the OnePlus 7 Pro, and download the latest installer. Then flash the zip using Magisk.
Crucially, at the end of the installer log it says "you are now unrooted". DO NOT IGNORE THIS MESSAGE! If you reboot now, Magisk will be gone and the stock ROM will immediately overwrite TWRP. You must use Magisk Manager to reinstall Magisk using a "Direct Install". That way, your boot.img will be patched again and your Magisk (and TWRP) will persist across reboots.
Go ahead and try it out. Reboot a few times, sometimes into recovery, sometimes into Android to test Magisk.
We're still not done yet. Wouldn't you love to stay rooted and still be running the latest version of OxygenOS? I sure would. Next I'll describe the process of applying an OTA update while keeping your root and everything. Thanks to A/B you can stay untethered.
Please note that, if you'd like to proceed with the EU version of OxygenOS, you should go grab 9.5.4 before proceeding to the next step, for example from here, and use local update to install it. (note GM27BA instead of GM27AA) The EU version is supposed to have better privacy options and less bloatware, so that's what I personally went with. Converting your OxygenOS from GM27AA to GM27BA has no harmful side effects and should work on any phone. It affects the OTA you'll receive in the next step, and this is possibly the only chance you'll get to switch (or not). So choose wisely.
Remember to turn off all auto-updating in the OxygenOS settings. You don't want your phone suddenly losing Magisk and TWRP after any old reboot. Then you can use the OxygenOS updater to accept an official OTA update. It will recognize you're rooted and install an entire fresh new system to your inactive slot, which is exactly what we want.
There are two steps you need to perform before rebooting. The first is TWRP persistence and the second is Magisk persistence. For TWRP persistence you need to go into Magisk Manager and flash a module called "TWRP A/B retention script". Then for Magisk persistence you need to go install Magisk again, but this time to the inactive slot. You must do TWRP persistence first.
After this you should be good to go back to the update screen and hit reboot. You should still have TWRP and Magisk, but now on the very latest version of OxygenOS. Customize your phone to your heart's content now; it's all yours.
Recommended tweaks:
- install a Magisk module called "Debloater (Terminal Emulator)". Install a terminal emulator like Termux and use `su` to enter a root shell. Then you can run `debloat` and go through the list of apps, removing things you don't want. Certain services need to be watched out for, like PlayAutoInstallConfig (lets your carrier silently install apps without your consent). You can find tidbits online explaining what certain things do, like this pastebin, or this one. Houdini is the kernel driver which is very important.
- enable MagiskHide and hide yourself from Netflix and other DRM-enabled apps. Also hide yourself from Google Play's snet service.
- there is a Magisk module called F-Droid Privileged Extension, it's quite nice.
- use MagiskHide Props Config to set `net.tethering.noprovisioning=true`. This will prevent the carrier from knowing when you are using hotspot features, so they will not immediately cut your connection
- don't install a custom ROM. OxygenOS is high quality and everything you could ever want from a phone honestly. It has all the drivers and stuff for the phone and all of that cool stuff.
Small curiosities:
- SMT download mode is a special flashing mode used by the factory and it can overwrite things like the IMEI. Don't mess with it, you do not know what you're doing.
- Now that you have the software, you can literally just install a Dual SIM tray and have dual SIMs. Your phone is essentially the same as the international OP7P
- Feel free to post if you have any issues or need help with something.
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It isn't very clear what version of OOS you started on. If I'm running OOS10 on stock this should still (in theory) work right?

r4w0ne said:
It isn't very clear what version of OOS you started on. If I'm running OOS10 on stock this should still (in theory) work right?
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OOPS, fuck, I missed a step. You have to use MSM Download Tool to clean install this patched OOS before installing the developer preview. I'll update the post ASAP
Edit: Post has been updated

LoganDark said:
OOPS, ****, I missed a step. You have to use MSM Download Tool to clean install this patched OOS before installing the developer preview. I'll update the post ASAP
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Glad I asked lol.

r4w0ne said:
Glad I asked lol.
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I actually mentioned installing international OOS in the post but for some reason I didn't link it or provide instructions. Silly me...
Edit: Post has been updated

LoganDark said:
I actually mentioned installing international OOS in the post but for some reason I didn't link it or provide instructions. Silly me...
Edit: Post has been updated
Click to expand...
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New problem, OEM unlocking is greyed out in the options on the developer preview...
EDIT: I'm a retard and didn't follow instructions. Ignore.