Database Users

[REF]The Complete Moto X Guides/Information Thread

So this thread started as just a guide for root but with all the questions being asked lately I have decided to turn it into a full blown info thread this is going to take some time and some section might be empty so please bare with me.
Device Variants
(this display is not 100% correct still working out some issues and info!)
XT1049 - Republic Wireless
XT1052 - European - Sim ?
XT1053 -T-Mobile US, Dev Ed
XT1055 - US Cellular - Sim ?
XT1056 - Sprint - Sim Unlocked
XT1058 - AT&T, Rogers, Claro, Movistar, Vivo, Oi, TIM - Sim Unlocked
XT1060 - Verizon - Sim Locked
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What Devices Can Unlock There Bootloader
In this section we are going to go over what devices can have there bootloader unlocked and what ones can't this is very simple.
(if it dose not says Dev Ed next to the carrier then I am talking about consumer model.
Locked Bootloader – Verizon, AT&T, Republic Wireless
Unlockable Bootloader – Sprint, US Cellular, T-Mobile, Rogers, all Dev editions
Personally these are the ones I am not sure about yet so if you have one please let me know so I can add them.
? - Claro, Movistar, Vivo, Oi, TIM
If you want to check to see if your device is unlockable please go to motorola's website below
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/87215
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Downgrading Bootloader
there has been a lot of issues around this process so I want to post the info right at the top so people stop bricking there device and we can get past this
here is a quick list of what can be done with bootloader downgrading
the only OTA that can downgrade is 4.4 to 4.2.2 Post Cam
4.4 to 4.2.2 Pre Cam will Brick
4.2.2 Post Cam to 4.2.2 Pre Cam will Brick.
4.4.2 to to anything will Brick
4.4 to 4.2.2 Post Cam you are ok
here is a thread dedicated to the discussion of bootloaders and modems
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2635366
Informative Thread Google Cached
READ CAREFULLY
WARNING
DO NOT FLASH THE NEW 4.4.2 SBF FIRMWARE UNLESS YOUR CARRIERS FIRMWARE IS AVAILABLE.
FOLKS HAVE FLASHED OTHER CARRIERS FIRMWARE AND AS A RESULT THEY HAVE NO DATA CONNECTION,
YOU CAN NOT DOWNGRADE, SO IF THIS HAPPENS CHANCES ARE YOU'LL HAVE A PHONE THATS UNUSABLE UNTIL AND IF YOUR CARRIERS SBF SHOWS UP.
THERE IS A CHANCE THAT EVEN AFTER YOU FLASH THE CORRECT FIRMWARE, YOUR RADIO SIGNAL MAY NEVER WORK
I will not in any fashion help anyone to upgrade nor downgrade their moto, this thread is for info only. I personally will not take any responsibility for any issues. You own it ., you alone broke it
Motorola bootloader unlocking website https://motorola-global-portal.custh...-your-device-a
WARNING WARNING
DO NOT FLASH ANY OTA 4.4.2 ,OTA ROM OR ANY SUCH MEANS OF UPGRADING WITHOUT HAVING YOUR SPECIFIC CARRIER 4.4.2 SBF FIRMWARE AS A BACK UP
WARNING WARNING WARNING
IF YOU HAVE A LOCKED BOOTLOADER ONLY FLASH YOUR SPECIFIC CARRIERS SBF FIRMWARE, OTHERWISE YOU WILL END UP WITH A HARD BRICKED DEVICE
************************************************** ********
If you Frankenstein a way of downgrading do not post it here, this thread is not about tricks, hacks or any such garbage. This thread is to inform folks in the correct way of maintaining your moto to work. Plain and simple
There's a tremendous amount of firmware flashing which is causing harm to many users phones.
Realize that having a unlocked boot loader moto, regardless if its a DE will also suffer from hard bricks.
Unlocked boot loaders can flash other variants system.img's without to many issues
Modems are a different story, some user report no data with European modems, so I suggest using your specific carriers modems
Stay away from motoboot.img (boot loader) or gpt.bin(partition table) be warned
Remember you and you alone are responsible for any hard bricks
********************************
This is a simple chart what can and can't not be downgraded, Thanks to Dray_jr 
the only OTA that can downgrade is 4.4 to 4.2.2 Post Cam
here is what we know right now that might make more sense
4.4 to 4.2.2 Pre Cam will Brick
4.2.2 Post Cam to 4.2.2 Pre Cam will Brick.
4.4.2 to to anything will Brick
4.4 to 4.2.2 Post Cam you are ok
************************************************** **************
WARNING if you manage to flash back to 4.4 or even 4.2.2 with the new 4.4.2 BOOTLOADER DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE ACCEPT ANY OTA, YOU WILL HARD BRICK YOUR DEVICE, PROOF BELOW
Quote
******** "it was running on 4.4.2 software, then i downgrade to 4.2.2. all was fine, but OTA killed it.
So after that, i read that 4.4.2 instaled new bootloader =( that cant be downgraded, and can bricked the phone, it was my mistake =(
So i think i should sent it to Motorola and if i lucky one, they should repair it, or resend new one. or if bad luck i will throw it to the trash =)"*******
Files inside sbf firmware:
Motoboot.img (bootloader)
gpt.bin ( Partition table)
NON_HLOS (modem)
System
Recovery
Bootloaders:
4.4.2 North , Central & South America:
Rogers 30.B4
US Cellular 30.B4
Brazil Retail 30.B4
T-Mobile 30.B4
Sprint 30.B4
Europe:
UK 30.B3
Modems:
Rogers 4.4.2
Stock Recovery:
Rogers Stock Recovery 4.4.w
4.2.2 pre camera boot loader 30.70
4.2.2 post camera bootloader 30.71
Issues:,
Confirmed by Steve x , you can not downgrade bootloader from 4.4.2
WARNING WARNING
The Brazilian phone and central American phones will not have a data connection with the uk or DE firmware, so do not flash any European firmware, be warned
I will credit correct posters when i get back to my pc
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Custom Recovery's
Now this is fairly simple there are 3 custom recovery options for us right now 2 for unlocked bootloaders and 1 for locked
here are the options we have and links to there threads for info and downloading
TWRP
http://techerrata.com/browse/twrp2/ghost
CWM
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2612149
Safestrap
http://rootzwiki.com/topic/104161-recovery-locked-safestrap-recovery-v365-2013-11-13/
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How to Take OTA on Root Device
flashallthetime said:
Ok tired of answering thus question constantly
To accept and flash an ota you must have the following phone set up
1) Stock recovery. No it will no flash with twrp or cwm
2) All root removed completely from your system
3) Xposed framework completely removed from your system, uninstalling will not work,you need to flash the xposed Disabler zip
4) Any mods to any system file must be reverted to stock
5) Running the stock odex ROM
6) Any system apps frozen must be unfrozen
If you have at any point of time flashed any 4.4.2 firmware along with the boot loader 30.B3 or 30.B4
DO NOT FLASH THE OTA, YOU WILL HAVE A HARD BRICKED MOTO
HOPE THIS HELPS
Sent on my Gummy running Lenoto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
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Rooting Locked Bootloader
[SIZE="3"]Step one[/SIZE]
Downloading the required drivers and software
Motorola Device Drivers
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88481
Android SDK
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
RockMyMoto(4.2.2 root exploit)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2369524&d=1383521170
Cydia Impactor(Required for 4.2.2 root exploit)
http://www.cydiaimpactor.com/
MotoWpNoMo(Kill Write Protect on Locked Bootloaders)
Win - http://www.rumrunner.us/MotoWpNoMo-0.0.4.zip
Linux - http://www.rumrunner.us/MotoWpNoMo-0.0.4.tar
SlapMyMoto(4.4 Root exploit)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=2463879&d=1387477699
RSD Lite(Used for downgrading to 4.2.2 camera update)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/42057363/RSDLite_v6.1.x.zip
MFastboot(Used for manually downgrading to 4.2.2)
http://mark.cdmaforums.com/X-STUFF/mfastboot-442.zip
4.2.2 Camera Update Firmware(download firmware for your device)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2568334
Below are Complete Kits that i put together for Each Carrier Moto X
it contains all the files needed to Root/Downgrade/Return To Stock or what ever you need to do.
I will be posting Links as i upload them.
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Step two
Downgrade to 4.2.2 Camera Update
If you are on the 4.4 update already your are going to have to downgrade your device to 4.2.2 camera update. The best way to do this is to follow the guide in the link below.
Ok so more and more people are Bricking there phone with RSD Lite so i am going to add in the guide to manually flash all the img's because i no longer will refer to RSD Lite for the fact that i dont find it safe anymore.
To Flash back to 4.2.2 Camera Update Manually Follow the Below Steps it is very simple.
1. download the correct 4.2.2 CU firmware for your Carrier
2. open the .zip files and extract the files into your folder with ADB and MFastBoot.
3. Boot your phone into the bootloader
4. Run the below commands one by one
Code:
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash motoboot motoboot.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
mfastboot flash system system.img
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot reboot
i recommend wiping your device also but that is up to you
Code:
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase cache
Now it is time to move on to Step three and root your device
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Step Three
Rooting 4.2.2 camera update and disabling write protection
Before you can start to root 4.4 you first need to root 4.2.2 camera update and disable write protection. below are two links the first one is to root 4.2.2 camera update and the second one is for disabling write protection
4.2.2 Camera Root Exploit
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2509590
Disable Write Protection
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2551113
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Step Four
Returning back to stock again so you can start rooting 4.4
i know you have already done this but in order to root 4.4 you have to be completely stock. So use the same guide and firmware as the last time to restore your device to stock again i no longer will recommend RSD Lite so below is the steps to manually flash your device back to stock
1. download the correct 4.2.2 CU firmware for your Carrier
2. open the .zip files and extract the files into your folder with ADB and MFastBoot.
3. Boot your phone into the bootloader
4. Run the below commands one by one
Code:
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash motoboot motoboot.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
mfastboot flash system system.img
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot reboot
i recommend wiping your device also but that is up to you
Code:
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase cache
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Step Five
Root 4.4 Finally
Now that we are back to 4.2.2 camera update it is finally time to start the process to root 4.4 just follow the guide below and you will finally have your device on 4.4 with Root
4.4 Root Guide
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2538896
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How To Unlock Your Bootloader
Unlock your Bootloader
This Will Erase your Data/ Factory Reset your phone
In order to install TWRP/CWM and SuperSU you need to first unlocked your boot loader. below is a link to Motorola's guide to do just that.
Click on the link below and pick your Moto X by what carrier you are with
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/87215/action/auth
im going to try and do this the best i can but no matter what i do your going to have to go to the moto website to get the unlock key
download the SDK and install it.
locate ware it was installed normally (C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk)
open Command Prompt and type
Code:
CD C:\Program Files\Android\android-sdk\platform-tools
put phone into bootloader
type below commands in CMD
type
Code:
fastboot oem get_unlock_data
it should come back with something like this
(bootloader) 0A40040192024205#4C4D3556313230
(bootloader) 30373731363031303332323239#BD00
(bootloader) 8A672BA4746C2CE02328A2AC0C39F95
(bootloader) 1A3E5#1F53280002000000000000000
(bootloader) 0000000
Now we need to remove all the (bootloader) and make the key into one line
we then need to paste this into the box on the bottom of the Moto unlock page and hit the button "Can my Device be Unlocked"
if your device can be unlocked you need to accept the license agreement and then click the button to request your key. It will then email you your unlock key.
Copy your unlock key then click the link Step 3
now if you left your device connected and everything ware it was then great if not we need to put are phone back into bootloader and open a CMD and CD it to the same directory as before.
then type
Code:
fastboot oem unlock UNIQUE_KEY
ware Unique_key being the code you copied from your email.
now your bootloader is unlocked.
Sorry this guide is not great but it is the best i can do for the fact that you have to be on the moto website to get your unlock key. i hope this helps somewhat.
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Rooting Unlocked Bootloader
Step one
Downloading the required drivers and software
Motorola Device Drivers
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88481
Android SDK
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
TWRP Recovery
http://techerrata.com/browse/twrp2/ghost
CWM Recovery
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2612149
SuperSU
http://download.chainfire.eu/supersu
MFastboot(Used for flashing TWRP)
http://mark.cdmaforums.com/X-STUFF/mfastboot-442.zip
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Step Two
How to install TWRP/CWM Recovery and SuperSU
Now that you have your bootloader unlocked its time to install are custom recovery and SuperSU so we have Root
Before we worry about that phone please make sure you have installed the SDK and then copied the mfastboot files over to the directory your ADB is in.
also before we put the phone into bootloader mode we need to copy the SuperSU.zip over to are phone
Now that we have all that moved over everything that we need. it is time to get are phone into the bootloader you can do that by turning off your phone, Then turning it back on while holding volume down + the power button.
once into the bootloader plug your USB cable in and set your phone down.
now we need to open a CMD window and CD to the directory ware we placed the MFastBoot files.
this is my location but i use the Moto X toolkit yours is going to be ware ever you install the SDK
so in the CMD window type the command below but change the path to ware your files are located
Code:
CD C:\Program Files\stillthisguy\Moto X Toolkit
now that we are in the right location it is time to install TWRP/CWM we are going to do that by typeing the commands below
Code:
mfastboot flash recovery twrp-2.6.3.1-ghost-4.4.img
or what ever the name of your recovery img is
as soon as you type the above command to flash TWRP/CWM we need to boot the phone into recovery before we let it boot to android we can do that via the buttons below.
click the Volume - button until it highlights Recovery then press the Volume + button to select it and it should boot into recovery.
If you do not immediately boot your phone into recovery after you flash it, recovery wont work.
here is a step by step that might help everyone abit
Cozume said:
Try this:
1) Put device in bootloader mode while not connected to PC using the buttons (Volume Down + Power);
2) Connect device to PC using USB cord;
3) mfastboot flash recovery twrp-2.6.3.1-ghost-4.4.img
4) fastboot reboot-bootloader
5) Disconnect device from PC;
6) Then get into recovery mode by pressing the Volume Down button to highlight recovery mode and then pressing the Volume Up button to select the recovery mode; and
7) You should now have booted into the Team Win Recovery Project custom recovery. Click on Install to install SuperSu. Scroll down to find the sdcard and select it. Then scroll down to download and select it. Select the SuperSU zip file and swipe to install.
If that doesn't work, repeat but omit step 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now click on Install and find your SuperSU.zip that we copied over and click on it and install it. when it is done installing you can reboot your phone and enjoy having root access.
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Returning to Stock
Step one
Downloading the required drivers and software
Motorola Device Drivers
https://motorola-global-portal.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/88481
Android SDK
http://developer.android.com/sdk/index.html
MFastboot(Used for manually downgrading to 4.2.2)
http://mark.cdmaforums.com/X-STUFF/mfastboot-442.zip
For firmware Download pick what firmware you want from the link below
http://sbf.droid-developers.org/phone.php?device=0
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Step Two
Returning device Stock and Locking Bootloader
1. Open your firmware and extract the files to the same folder as adb/fastboot and mfastboot.
2. open a CMD window and CD into the directory that we just extracted all the files too
3. type below commands one by one
Code:
fastboot flash partition gpt.bin
fastboot flash motoboot motoboot.img
fastboot flash logo logo.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
mfastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot erase modemst1
fastboot erase modemst2
fastboot flash fsg fsg.mbn
fastboot oem lock
i recommend wiping your device also but that is up to you if you dont want
to then skip the next two commands and just type the reboot command
fastboot erase userdata
fastboot erase cache
fastboot reboot
after your phone is done rebooting you will be completely stock firmware of your choice
Enjoy
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Full OTG support on 4.4.2 or older builds via Qualcomm settings
aviwdoowks ask for me to include his guide in my post so here yall go if you need support the link below is to the original thread
OP Thread
Update
This is, at least, a stock/rootless solution. The OTG/UsbDisk is now system wide! /storage/UsbDisk! Root Explorer/Explorer (free)! The standard issue "Documents" apk browses it too.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
You may use many apps to browse your new /storage/UsbDisk, this is a good one.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fm.clean
You need to create a shortcut to qualcomm settings.
The: com.qualcomm.qualcommsettings.apk is in your system/app!
I posted it for custom rom users, but it will not show up even if you install it.
I use Super Manager donation. The free version works too. (apk manager, choose activity button. The gear: launches the activity, the arrow creates a shortcut on homescreen.). I use Xperia launcher.
Then enable usb mass storage and OTG mode - peripheral. The usb will get reset but there is no need to keep it on. OTG mode sticks. Edit: try it w/o the usb checked it may not be needed at all.
Done.
Go File manager, /storage. Permissions will be rwx even from the free version.
You have a new mount/unmount option in settings/storage:
Be sure to use (^ above button) the unmount command as forgetting you have a write operation in progress and yanking out the otg adapter can trash your SD card!
I do not wonder why Moto did not enable this ability!
No need to download the attached apk. It is in your system apps already. But some custom ROMs may not have it.
USEonlyIFnotONyourPHONE.4.4.2com.qualcomm.qualcommsettings.apk
USEonlyIFnotONyourPHONE4.4.0.com.qualcomm.qualcommsettings.apk
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Credits
jcase
beaups
TechSavvy2
zhp pilot
Hashcode
Phil3759
flashallthetime
aviwdoowks
if i forgot anyone please let me know

Nice guide! First to reply, lucky!
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk

I guess it would be nice to add the root tutorial for unlocked bootloader, even though it's a quick process. Some people might have little worry about voiding warranty.
Sent from my Moto X

RenSoAbrupt said:
I guess it would be nice to add the root tutorial for unlocked bootloader, even though it's a quick process. Some people might have little worry about voiding warranty.
Sent from my Moto X
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok sounds good i will add it
guide for unlocked Bootloaders has been added i think i got everything right lol. please let me know if there are any error's or is i am missing anything. enjoy

Thanks much for this.
Wish things were a lot more straight forward though.

Sorry but I'm not going to grab someone's guide and remake it most of the guides I linked to the creator has done a very good job with them so I want them to get the credit for it
Sent from my XT1056 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Yes! This is exactly what I needed. I had the jist of what needed to be done, but had trouble wrapping my head around the correct order of all the different steps. When a root process requires links to 10 different guides, you really need a Master guide like this. Thanks
Sent from my Nexus 7

No problem man glade it helped
Sent from my XT1056 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

dray_jr said:
No problem man glade it helped
Sent from my XT1056 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i have botloader unlocked
i flashed recovery
///solved to get into recovery
when i boot into recovery says no comands

danger2u said:
i have botloader unlocked
i flashed recovery
///solved to get into recovery
when i boot into recovery says no comands
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i answered your question in your thread in Q and A

TWRP problem...
So I flashed TWRP to my phone. The flash went through fine, but when I tried to boot into recover it just comes up with the No Command error. Any thoughts?

AceBearpaws said:
So I flashed TWRP to my phone. The flash went through fine, but when I tried to boot into recover it just comes up with the No Command error. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes this is a very common problem and i am going to edit the OP to try and make sure people dont make this mistake.
ok this is a simple fix
1.boot you phone into bootloader
2. CD adb to the folder with your recovery in it
3. re run the fastboot flash recovery imagename.img
4. do not boot your phone into android
5. right after your phone flashes TWRP type adb reboot recovery
6.it should boot right into recovery this time
for some reason after your flash TWRP you have to immediately boot your phone into recovery before you allow youe device to boot into android or you will have this issue.

Thanks! I'll give it a shot tonight!
---------- Post added at 12:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:09 PM ----------
easting said:
Thanks! I'll give it a shot tonight!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone try on XT1060 (VZW)?

I've got a problem hopefully you can help.
I've unlocked my bootloader via the moto website and getting the warning when I restart to say the bootloader is unlocked. I seem to be installing the recovery ok but when I typing adb reboot recovery I'm getting error: device not found.
When I have my phone turned on and I type adb devices it lists my phone. When I'm in fastboot and type adb devices my computer doesn't find my phone.
Do you have any ideas?

Thanks!
dray_jr said:
Yes this is a very common problem and i am going to edit the OP to try and make sure people dont make this mistake.
ok this is a simple fix
1.boot you phone into bootloader
2. CD adb to the folder with your recovery in it
3. re run the fastboot flash recovery imagename.img
4. do not boot your phone into android
5. right after your phone flashes TWRP type adb reboot recovery
6.it should boot right into recovery this time
for some reason after your flash TWRP you have to immediately boot your phone into recovery before you allow youe device to boot into android or you will have this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I actually tracked down your post on another thread, and got it all fixed.
Though I will say this, once I flashed when I typed in adb reboot recovery it said it could not find my device for some reason. If this happens to anyone else you can still get recovery to work as described above with one small difference. It seems the moto x has a tendency to turn right back on the second you turn it off from fastboot. If you are ready for it you can quickly hit power + volume down quickly before it has a chance to boot, and it will get you back into fastboot and the recovery image will work from there.
Thanks!
~ Ace

AceBearpaws said:
Yeah I actually tracked down your post on another thread, and got it all fixed.
Though I will say this, once I flashed when I typed in adb reboot recovery it said it could not find my device for some reason. If this happens to anyone else you can still get recovery to work as described above with one small difference. It seems the moto x has a tendency to turn right back on the second you turn it off from fastboot. If you are ready for it you can quickly hit power + volume down quickly before it has a chance to boot, and it will get you back into fastboot and the recovery image will work from there.
Thanks!
~ Ace
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi Ace
When you are in bootloader does adb reboot recovery work at all for you? How did you get it to reboot into recovery. I just tried flashing the recovery, restarting straight into bootloader and still cant use adb reboot recovery and selecting recovery boots android and starts the phone.

matust said:
Hi Ace
When you are in bootloader does adb reboot recovery work at all for you? How did you get it to reboot into recovery. I just tried flashing the recovery, restarting straight into bootloader and still cant use adb reboot recovery and selecting recovery boots android and starts the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would try reflashing the recovery one more time sounds like something went wrong
Sent from my XT1056 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

When I flash 4.2.2 (camera update) to downgrade, the device gets stuck at boot splash. Typically with other devices I've owned, this is a sign of a bad kernel flash or an incompatible kernel. Though I've run through multiple times and get the same issue every time.
VZW locked bootloader.
Flashing using mfastboot for Linux.
Bootloader and terminal show successful data transfer and flash on all partitions.
Boot splash just shows the "M" logo without "a Google company" written underneath.
Flashing back to 4.4 yields no issues.
Any thoughts?
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk

dray_jr said:
I would try reflashing the recovery one more time sounds like something went wrong
Sent from my XT1056 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've flashed the recovery several times before trying to reboot into recovery and it still isn't working. When I flash the recovery I get the acknowledgement on the command line and the phone. So I think the recovery is flashing. I have set up adb on another computer to try again and its not working either.
When my phone is in fastboot if I type adb devices I get error: no device found. If I type fastboot devices my phone shows up. Any other ideas? This is frustrating me to no ends!
---------- Post added at 08:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:44 AM ----------
After doing some more googling it looks like adb commands won't work when your in fastboot. adb commands only work while the phone is on or in recovery. This sounds like why adb devices won't list the device and why adb reboot recovery won't reboot it to recovery

Ok I now have TWRP installed...yay
There may have been a problem with my firmware from the 4.4 OTA that was stopping me from installing twrp. I reinstalled the stock moto firmware using method 2 from here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2446515
I then followed the guide from this thread and installed TWRP with the exception that adb reboot recovery doesn't work in fastboot and did as Ace said and rebooted straight to fastboot and selected recovery from there.
Happy days

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One

[SIZE=+3]Heisenberg's How-To Guide For Beginners[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]OnePlus One[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=+1]See Also:
[INDEX] OnePlus One
[FAQ] OnePlus One Frequently Asked Questions[/size]
[SIZE=+1]Intro[/SIZE]
This thread will serve as a location for basic how-to guides for the OnePlus One (Bacon). I'm going to start off with a couple of the more obvious ones and go from there. If anyone has any suggestions for additions please feel free to let me know.
[size=+1]Prerequisites[/size]:
You'll need a working adb/fastboot environment on your PC to get through some of these guides. Go here to download the Android SDK, which will give you most updated version of adb and fastboot. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find Other Download Options>SDK Tools Only, and grab the right version for your OS. While it's downloading create a folder in C:\ called SDK (C:\SDK). Once you've downloaded the zip you can extract it into your C:\SDK folder. Navigate to C:\SDK\android-sdk-windows and open SDK Manager.exe. In SDK Manager you need to install the following packages:
Tools> Android SDK Tools, Android SDK Platform-tools
Extras> Android Support Library
Once you have installed those, inside C:\SDK you should see some new folders, one of them will be called platform-tools, within that folder you should see fastboot.exe and adb.exe. I'll refer to this as your fastboot folder/directory or working folder/directory during this guide. To make sure adb is correctly installed, open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (hold shift + right click, select open command prompt here) and issue this command:
Code:
adb version
If it returns a version number for Android Debug Bridge then you're good to go.
You'll find universal adb/fastboot drivers here, download it and follow the installer, then reboot your PC.
You can test adb by connecting your device to your PC while booted into Android (making sure that adb/usb debugging is enabled in Settings>Developer Options) with the screen unlocked and issuing this command:
Code:
adb devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, adb is working.
You can test fastboot by connecting your device to your PC while booted into fastboot mode (power + volume up) and issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, fastboot is working.
By attempting any of the processes listed this thread you accept full responsibility for your actions. I will not be held responsible if your device stops working, catches on fire, or turns into a hipster and claims to have been modified before it was cool. Make sure you read a section and fully understand it before attempting it.
[SIZE=+1]Index[/SIZE]
How To Unlock Your Bootloader
How To Install A Custom Recovery On Your Device
How To Make A Nandroid Backup With TWRP Recovery
How To Root Your Stock Rom
How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery
How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery
How To Flash The Stock Kernel With Fastboot
How To Flash The Cyanogen OS Fastboot Images
How To Update Modem/Firmware When Switching From KitKat To Lollipop (and vice versa)
How To Make Sure You Can Pretty Much Always Recover From An Accidentally Wiped System
How To Backup & Restore Your EFS Partition
[SIZE=+1]1. How To Unlock Your Bootloader[/SIZE]
Power off your phone then boot into fastboot mode (power + volume up).
Connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here).
Check your fastboot connection by issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if not you need to make sure your drivers are installed correctly.​
Once you've confirmed your fastboot connection issue this command:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
The device will now go through the automated unlocking process, just let it do its thing and it'll boot up into Android.​
Go back to fastboot mode and issue this command to ensure that it worked:
Code:
fastboot oem device-info
It should have a couple of lines there, both with the flag set to true.​
You can now reboot your phone using this command:
Code:
fastboot reboot
It's now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
Please note: this will erase all user data from your device, it is best to do this before you really start using the device and installing apps or putting data on the internal storage.
[SIZE=+1]2. How To Install A Custom Recovery On Your Device[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader.
You first need to go into Settings/Developer Options and uncheck the "Update recovery with system updates" option (to enable Developer Options go into Settings/About Phone and click 'build number' about seven or eight times).
Download the recovery of your choice (my preferred recovery is TWRP, and we'll be using that for this guide, grab it here).
Make sure you check the md5 to verify its integrity.
Place the file in your fastboot folder (this is where fastboot.exe is located on your PC).
Put the phone in fastboot mode and connect it to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (shift + right click, select open command prompt here), and enter the following commands:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery openrecovery-twrp-2.8.1.0-bacon.img
(The recovery filename in the command will change depending on which recovery you're flashing)
Code:
fastboot format cache
Code:
fastboot reboot
Let the device reboot, it's now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
Now you can use the advanced power menu (or the power + volume down button combo) to enter your custom recovery.
Please note, if you have taken the stock Lollipop update please read the following:
For some reason CM12S doesn't respect the on/off toggle for the "update CM recovery" option in Developer Options, it just replaces whatever custom recovery you've flashed with the CM recovery regardless of whether that option is unelected.
Flash your custom recovery again, but after flashing don't do a normal reboot. After the flash has succeeded disconnect the usb cable, then power down the phone by holding the power button down, once it's powered off use the power + volume down button combo to boot directly into recovery. This first forced reboot into recovery somehow subverts what was keeping it from staying flashed and all subsequent normal reboots into recovery will boot into the custom recovery of your choice.
[SIZE=+1]3. How To Make A Nandroid Backup With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery.
A nandroid backup is a very important thing to have before installing any custom software on your device. It's basically a backup of your stock system that you can fall back on if anything goes wrong or if you just want your stock ROM back. You can also use the backup tool to create a backup of your favourite ROM set up exactly the way you like it. The backup you create can be easily restored using the restore tool in TWRP recovery.
All you need to do is enter TWRP recovery, select the backup option from the TWRP home screen, check the system/data/boot boxes, and swipe to backup. The process will take a few minutes.
[SIZE=+1]4. How To Root Your Stock Rom[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery.
First you need to download SuperSU.
Enter TWRP recovery via the advanced power menu (or power + volume down).
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to where you have SuperSU stored on your sd card and select it.
Swipe to install.
Once you've installed SuperSU you'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button. That's it.
[SIZE=+1]5. How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery.
Installing a ROM is a pretty straight forward and easy process. Before you install anything you should make a nandroid backup (instructions above).
Download a ROM and appropriate Gapps package and place on your device.
Boot into your custom recovery.
Perform a full wipe.
Select the wipe option from the TWRP home screen.
Select advanced wipe.
Check the system, data, cache, and dalvik cache options.
Swipe to wipe.
Install the ROM.
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to where you have the ROM zip stored on your sd card and select it.
Swipe to install.
Most ROMs will run an installer script at this point but some ROMs have what is called an Aroma Installer which allow you to choose some install options before the script runs.​
You will also need to install the appropriate gapps package directly after installing the ROM.
Once you've installed all necessary zips you'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button.
[SIZE=+1]6. How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery.
A custom kernel can open up a new level of control over your device, such as overclocking/underclocking, undervolting, changing governors, changing I/O schedulers, adjusting colour calibrations, adjusting sound calibrations, and many other options.
Download a kernel that is compatible with your current ROM.
Check the md5 to verify its integrity.
Enter TWRP recovery.
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to the kernel and select it.
Swipe to install.
You'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button.
Once your phone has booted up you can use a kernel tuning app to change governors, I/O scheduler, clock speed, and other options. Some of the popular kernel apps are Trickster Mod, No Frills, Kernel Tuner, and many more.
[SIZE=+1]7. How To Flash The Stock Kernel (boot.img) With Fastboot[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader.
If you're running a custom kernel on Cyanogen OS you'll need to flash the stock kernel back in order to take an OTA update.
Download the appropriate set of stock images from this thread. Extract the zip and grab the "boot.img" file.
Put it in your fastboot folder (where you have fastboot.exe located) on your PC.
Boot into fastboot mode (power + volume up) and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (shift + right click, select open command prompt here).
Issue this fastboot command:
Code:
fastboot flash boot boot.img
It'll take a few seconds to flash the boot.img, once it's finished you can manually reboot your phone or use the following command to reboot it:
Code:
fastboot reboot
It's now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
Now you have the stock kernel back on your device.
[SIZE=+1]8. How To Flash The Cyanogen OS Fastboot Images[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader.
Please note: This procedure requires an unlocked bootloader. This procedure will factory reset your device! All user data (settings, apps, data on internal storage) will be wiped!
Download the latest stock images to your PC from here. If you don't want the latest build you can find all stock images mirrored here thanks to @Spannaa.
Reboot your device into Fastboot Mode (power + volume up) and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Unzip the file you downloaded and put its contents into your fastboot folder (the same folder that you have adb.exe and fastboot.exe located in on your PC).
Open a command prompt from within your adb/fastboot folder (shift + right click, select open command prompt here).
Issue these fastboot commands:
Code:
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot flash sbl1 sbl1.mbn
fastboot flash dbi sdi.mbn
fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn
fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn
fastboot flash tz tz.mbn
fastboot flash LOGO logo.bin
fastboot flash oppostanvbk static_nvbk.bin
fastboot flash boot boot.img
fastboot flash cache cache.img
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
fastboot flash system system.img
fastboot flash userdata userdata_64G.img
or fastboot flash userdata userdata.img if you have the 16gb model)
Please note: flashing the userdata will wipe your internal storage (your virtual sd card). It's possible to flash these images without that command if a full wipe isn't completely necessary in your situation.
Reboot your device with this command:
Code:
fastboot reboot
It's now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
[SIZE=+1]9. How To Update Modem/Firmware When Switching From KitKat To Lollipop (and vice versa)[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader.
To update from KitKat to Lollipop download the YOG4PAS1N0 firmware zip here:
cm-12.1-YOG4PAS1N0-bacon-firmwareonly-fastboot.zip
To revert from Lollipop to KitKat download the XNPH44s or XNPH05Q firmware zip here:
cm-11s-XNPH44S-bacon-firmwareonly-fastboot.zip
cm-11s-XNPH05Q-bacon-firmwareonly-fastboot.zip
Reboot your device into Fastboot Mode (power + volume up) and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Unzip the file you downloaded and put its contents into your fastboot folder (the same folder that you have adb.exe and fastboot.exe located in on your PC).
Open a command prompt from within your adb/fastboot folder (shift + right click, select open command prompt here).
Issue these fastboot commands:
Code:
fastboot flash modem NON-HLOS.bin
fastboot flash sbl1 sbl1.mbn
fastboot flash dbi sdi.mbn
fastboot flash aboot emmc_appsboot.mbn
fastboot flash rpm rpm.mbn
fastboot flash tz tz.mbn
fastboot flash LOGO logo.bin
fastboot flash oppostanvbk static_nvbk.bin
Reboot your device with this command:
Code:
fastboot reboot
It is now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
[SIZE=+1]10. How To Make Sure You Can Pretty Much Always Recover From An Accidentally Wiped System[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, TWRP recovery.
There may come a time when you accidentally wipe your OS while trying to perform a basic cache wipe in recovery. Don't laugh, it can happen to the best of us. The best way to insure yourself against being stuck in recovery is to keep a ROM zip or a TWRP/CWM backup (a nandroid backup) on your sd card at all times.
This solution seems like common sense but apparently there are quite a few people out there who don't store a ROM or backup on their phone. You might think it's easy to just mount the OTG storage and copy a ROM across to your phone from your PC (which is definitely an option), but there's always a chance that you won't be near your HDD or sd card at the time, or it won't recognise your phone properly. Basically you need to insure yourself against Murphy's law.
[SIZE=+1]11. How To Backup & Restore Your EFS Partition[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader, root.
All too often on this device I've seen folks who have a corrupted or missing EFS Partition. This results in your IMEI being lost and no cellular activity on the device at all. This can be a royal PITA to fix, and some folks haven't been able to fix it at all. You can take a precautionary measure to safeguard yourself against this by taking a couple of minutes to back up your modemst files.
Open up Terminal Emulator on your phone (if you don't have it you can download it here).
Once it's open you'll be greeted with a command line prompt, in which you can enter text commands, the first thing you need to do is enable root access by entering this line (press the enter key on your on-screen keyboard after each command to issue it):
Code:
su
If this is the first time you've used Terminal Emulator a Superuser or SuperSU popup will appear, make sure you grant root access.​
Now enter these two commands:
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p10 of=/sdcard/modemst1.bin bs=512
Code:
dd if=/dev/block/mmcblk0p11 of=/sdcard/modemst2.bin bs=512
The result should look like this:
This will place two files (modemst1.bin & modemst2.bin) on the root of your internal storage, make sure you copy them to your PC immediately so that you have a backup there to use if you need to restore it in future.
If by chance you end up with a corrupt EFS partition all you need to do is flash the files back to your device using fastboot.
Boot into fastboot mode (power + volume up) and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Make sure the two files are in your fastboot folder on your PC.
These fastboot commands will restore the files:
Code:
fastboot flash modemst1 modemst1.bin
Code:
fastboot flash modemst2 modemst2.bin
Reboot your device:
Code:
fastboot reboot
It's now safe to disconnect your usb cable.
Credit goes to @Vonnegut for originally posting this method in the TWRP thread.
Donate To Me

Nice guide!
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

Great guide. Short and simple, just how I like it. :good:

timmaaa said:
The best way to insure yourself against being stuck in recovery is to keep a ROM zip or a TWRP/CWM backup (a nandroid backup) on your sd card at all times.​
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you confirm that backups made through CW recovery are fully functional? I remember that my previous phone's kernel wasn't backing up /preload while making nandroid backups...

ksoze11 said:
Can you confirm that backups made through CW recovery are fully functional? I remember that my previous phone's kernel wasn't backing up /preload while making nandroid backups...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't use CWM recovery so I can't confirm that personally. I use TWRP and can confirm that backups are fully functional with that recovery.
Transmitted via Bacon

Ive rooted my OPO, how do i perform a nandroid backup ? when i rooted i dont know if i put a custom recovery on it.. i followed this guide https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/...snt-wipe-your-data.66270/page-16#post-3809224

Quinnaay said:
Ive rooted my OPO, how do i perform a nandroid backup ? when i rooted i dont know if i put a custom recovery on it.. i followed this guide https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/...snt-wipe-your-data.66270/page-16#post-3809224
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't install a custom recovery or unlock your bootloader if you followed that tutorial. Just unlock your bootloader, it'll wipe your data so just backup anything that's important first. Then you can flash TWRP recovery and make a nandroid backup.
Transmitted via Bacon

urgh, i was hoping i could keep all my data. Think ill give it a miss, it was only so i can install Xposed, but that should work anyway right?

Quinnaay said:
urgh, i was hoping i could keep all my data. Think ill give it a miss, it was only so i can install Xposed, but that should work anyway right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're rooted you can just install the Xposed Framework apk and away you go. But, I'd strongly recommend you actually unlock your bootloader now, it's only gonna get harder to do the longer you wait.
Transmitted via Bacon

Come to think of it, there's a method around that'll unlock your bootloader without wiping any data, it's in the general section I think, have a look.
Transmitted via Bacon

Found it, @quinnay, here's what you want:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-one/development/mod-reset-unlock-tamper-bit-t2820912
Once you've done that you can follow my instructions to install a custom recovery and make a nandroid.
Transmitted via Bacon

Thanks Timmaaa yr a true contributor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:good:

Ive moved the "backups" folder containing all the files from my nandroid backup to PC if anything ever happens is it ok just on my PC or does it need to be on my phone?
edit: does this look right?

Quinnaay said:
Ive moved the "backups" folder containing all the files from my nandroid backup to PC if anything ever happens is it ok just on my PC or does it need to be on my phone?
edit: does this look right?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's fine to store it on your PC. But, you should have either a backup or a ROM zip on your phone at all times. If your system accidentally gets wiped or you run into some kinda trouble and you don't have one of those on your phone you're gonna kick yourself big time.
Yes it looks just fine.
Transmitted via Bacon

timmaaa said:
It's fine to store it on your PC. But, you should have either a backup or a ROM zip on your phone at all times. If your system accidentally gets wiped or you run into some kinda trouble and you don't have one of those on your phone you're gonna kick yourself big time.
Yes it looks just fine.
Transmitted via Bacon
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
whats the best thing to leave on my phone? should i put the backup back then?

It's up to you. Being that the phone has a mammoth amount of internal storage I'd just leave a backup on it because that's the easiest solution (restore it and boot, no setup required). I currently have four full backups on my device.
Transmitted via Bacon

I have a backup on the phone and my PC. Are you suggesting a flashable ROM on the phone also? I have the international 64 GB model rooted unlocked running stock. Which flashable ROM are you suggesting. I am very happy with 11s.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

26.2man said:
I have a backup on the phone and my PC. Are you suggesting a flashable ROM on the phone also? I have the international 64 GB model rooted unlocked running stock. Which flashable ROM are you suggesting. I am very happy with 11s.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need both, just one or the other is fine. It's just there as a failsafe. As for the ROM question:
Asking which ROM is best/most stable/fastest/prettiest, or asking for a suggestion isn't allowed so I can't answer that, here's why. To say one ROM is better is to infer that the others are inferior in some way. This is disrespectful to the devs who spend their spare time bringing us these awesome ROMs free of charge. Each user has different tastes anyway, the best way to see which ROM suits you is to flash a few and find out for yourself.
Transmitted via Bacon

Thanks. I think you misunderstood me. I know better than to get into the best ROM stuff. I was referring to the factory cm11s ROM and was wondering if there was a flashable one I could leave on my phone.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk

26.2man said:
Thanks. I think you misunderstood me. I know better than to get into the best ROM stuff. I was referring to the factory cm11s ROM and was wondering if there was a flashable one I could leave on my phone.
Sent from my One using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh I see, there is a recovery flashable version of cm11s available, it's in the dev section or general section.
Transmitted via Bacon

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for Nexus 5X

[SIZE=+3]Heisenberg's How-To Guide For Beginners[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]Nexus 5X[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=+1]Intro[/SIZE]
This thread will serve as a location for basic how-to guides for the Nexus 5X. I'm going to start off with a couple of the more obvious ones and go from there. If anyone has any suggestions for additions please feel free to let me know.
If you're unsure about something please read the FAQ section in post #2 before creating a post to ask a question.
[size=+1]Prerequisites[/size]:
You'll need a working adb/fastboot environment on your PC to get through some of these guides. Below are two options for install.
Please do not install adb/fastboot via any means other than the Android SDK, using other tools (like Minimal adb & fastboot) can lead to an outdated setup and various problems with flashing. You've been warned, other tools will not be supported in this thread.
Option A
Google hosts ADB/Fastboot (platform-tools) for Windows, OSX, and Linux. This is a minimal download, in contrast to Option 2. These links and file sizes may be updated periodically by Google. If using Windows, download the Google USB Driver and follow the driver install instructions. Once you have downloaded the platform-tools zip, extract the file then transfer the platform-tools folder to your desktop. The platform-tools folder contains adb, fastboot, and several other files. Note that clicking any link for platform-tools will immediately start a download.
*Windows: platform-tools. Google USB Driver install.
*OSX: platform-tools. For additional details on how to use OSX and adb/fastboot commands, see post #3.
*Linux: platform-tools.
See Option B below for old method to install adb/fastboot:
Option B
Go here to download the Android SDK, which will give you most updated version of adb and fastboot. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find Other Download Options>SDK Tools Only, and grab the right version for your OS. While it's downloading create a folder in C:\ called SDK (C:\SDK). Once you've downloaded the zip you can extract it into your C:\SDK folder. Navigate to C:\SDK\android-sdk-windows and open SDK Manager.exe. In SDK Manager you need to install the following packages:
Tools> Android SDK Tools, Android SDK Platform-tools
Extras> Android Support Repository, Google USB Driver
Once you have installed those, inside C:\SDK you should see some new folders, one of them will be called platform-tools, within that folder you should see fastboot.exe and adb.exe. I'll refer to this as your fastboot folder/directory or working folder/directory during this guide.
For Option A and B, make sure adb is correctly installed. Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (hold shift + right click, select open command prompt here) and issue this command:
Code:
adb version
If it returns a version number for Android Debug Bridge then you're good to go.
You can test adb by connecting your device to your PC while booted into Android (making sure that adb/usb debugging is enabled in Settings>Developer Options) with the screen unlocked and issuing this command:
Code:
adb devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, adb is working.
You can test fastboot by connecting your device to your PC while booted into the bootloader (power + volume down) and issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, fastboot is working.
By attempting any of the processes listed this thread you accept full responsibility for your actions. I will not be held responsible if your device stops working, catches on fire, or turns into a hipster and claims to have been modified before it was cool.
[SIZE=+1]Quick Tips[/SIZE]
How to boot into the bootloader:
Power off your device. Once it's powered off hold power + volume down and the phone will boot into the bootloader. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also use an app called Quick Boot to boot into the bootloader directly from Android (root required).
How to boot into recovery:
Boot into the bootloader (see above), use the volume keys to scroll through the options and use the power button to select the recovery mode option. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
You can also use an app called Quick Boot to boot into the recovery directly from Android (root required).
[SIZE=+1]Index[/SIZE]
How To Unlock Your Bootloader
How To Install A Custom Recovery On Your Device
How To Decrypt Your Data Partition
How To Make A Nandroid Backup With TWRP Recovery
How To Make An EFS Backup With TWRP Recovery
How To Root
How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery
How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery
How To Update To A New Build Of The Stock ROM
How To Flash The Factory Images (Return To Stock)
How To Flash The Factory Images (Return To Stock But Leaving Internal Storage Intact)
FAQ can be found in post #2!
[SIZE=+1]1. How To Unlock Your Bootloader[/SIZE]
Go into Settings/About Phone, scroll down and click on ?build number? continuously until you see a toast notification telling you that you've enabled Developer Options. Go back to your Settings menu and enter Developer Options, scroll down and click on the ?Enable OEM Unlock? checkbox, also make sure you enable USB Debugging while you're in the Developer Options menu.
Power off your phone then boot into the bootloader (power + volume down).
Connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here).
Check your fastboot connection by issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if not you need to make sure your drivers are installed correctly.​
Once you've confirmed your fastboot connection issue this command:
Code:
fastboot oem unlock
This will erase all user data from the device!
You should now see a screen on your phone asking you to confirm this action, use the volume keys to scroll and the power key to confirm if you're sure you want to go ahead.
Allow the process to complete and then issue this command:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Allow everything to go ahead and once finished you can disconnect your usb cable.
Important: do not relock your bootloader unless your phone is fully stock. You must flash the factory images first in order to remove root and custom recovery (if you have them), if this precaution isn't taken you may end up with a brick. Please see section 10 of this guide for full instructions on how to return to stock.
[SIZE=+1]2. How To Install A Custom Recovery On Your Device[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1). Please read FAQ #7 if using TWRP 3.0.2-1 or 3.0.2-2.
Download TWRP Recovery onto your PC.
Make sure you check the md5 to verify its integrity (where possible).
Place the file in your fastboot folder (this is where fastboot.exe is located on your PC).
Power off your phone then boot into the bootloader (power + volume down).
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter this command:
Code:
fastboot flash recovery filename.img
(The recovery filename in the command will change depending on which recovery you're flashing)
Use the volume keys to scroll and power key to select the Reboot Bootloader option. Once the phone has booted back into the bootloader, use the volume keys to scroll and the power key to boot into your newly flashed recovery. It's now safe to disconnect your usb cable. If using Nougat 7.0 or newer, you must now boot directly into TWRP and flash SuperSU (or your preferred root alternative) so that TWRP will persist between reboots.
When TWRP boots up you'll be asked whether you want to allow system modifications or to keep it read-only, choose to allow system modifications, there's no benefit to keeping it read-only.
Do not flash the version of SuperSU that TWRP offers to flash for you in order to give you root, it is not compatible and will cause problems. When you attempt to reboot out of TWRP it will tell you that it's detecting that you don't have root and it will offer to root for you, skip past this.
Some users need a custom recovery for a temporary period, so they live boot the recovery. In this scenario, the custom recovery replaces the stock recovery until a reboot is performed. Place the file in your fastboot folder then enter this command:
Code:
fastboot boot filename.img
(The recovery filename in the command will change depending on which recovery you're flashing)
[SIZE=+1]3. How To Decrypt Your Data Partition[/SIZE]
This is no longer necessary as long as you use TWRP 2.8.7.1 or newer
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1).
TWRP recovery cannot decrypt your data partition at this stage. In order for TWRP to be able to read/write on your data partition (to root or create a nandroid backup) you will need to format it, a format will remove encryption.
Boot into the bootloader and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter this command:
Code:
fastboot format userdata
Please note: this will erase all user data from the device!
Once the process has completed you can either reboot normally:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Or you can reboot back to the bootloader in order to undertake another task:
Code:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
[SIZE=+1]4. How To Make A Nandroid Backup With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
A nandroid backup is a very important thing to have before installing any custom software on your device. It's basically a backup of your stock system that you can fall back on if anything goes wrong or if you just want your stock ROM back. You can also use the backup tool to create a backup of your favourite ROM set up exactly the way you like it. The backup you create can be easily restored using the restore tool in TWRP recovery.
Boot TWRP recovery, select the backup option from the TWRP home screen, check the system/data/boot boxes, and swipe to backup. The process will take a few minutes.
[SIZE=+1]5. How To Make An EFS Backup With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
An EFS backup is very important to have, if your EFS partition becomes corrupt you will have no IMEI, and therefore will not be able to use the phone as a phone. Making an EFS backup is insurance against this catastrophic event. Without a backup, restoring your EFS can be extremely difficult or impossible. The backup you create can be easily restored using the restore tool in TWRP recovery.
Please read FAQ #7 if using TWRP 3.0.2-1 or 3.0.2-2. Boot into TWRP and select the backup option from the TWRP home screen, make sure only the EFS box is selected, and swipe to backup. The process will take a few seconds. Keep a copy of the backup on your phone and also keep another copy somewhere safe.
[SIZE=+1]6. How To Root[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
Download the latest root method of your choosing to your phone:
Magisk
SuperSU Stable
SuperSU Service Release (SuperSU beta channel)
Or to root Android Nougat 7.0 visit this thread: Use SuperSU 2.78 or newer.
[WIP] Android N Preview
Boot into TWRP recovery and enter the install menu.
Navigate to where you have SuperSU stored on your internal storage and select it.
Swipe to install.
Once you've installed SuperSU you'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button. That's it.
Do not flash the version of SuperSU that TWRP offers to flash for you in order to give you root, it is not compatible and will cause problems. When you attempt to reboot out of TWRP it will tell you that it's detecting that you don't have root and it will offer to root for you, skip past this. You do have root, ignore this every time it comes up.
[SIZE=+1]7. How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2), vendor.img (section 9).
Installing a ROM is a straight forward and easy process. Before you install anything you should make a nandroid backup (instructions above). Next, install the vendor.img that matches the Google security OTA that the ROM you want to install is based on. Find the vendor.img inside the factory images provided by Google then flash this file with fastboot (section 9).
Download a ROM and appropriate Gapps package and place on your device.
Boot into your custom recovery.
Select the wipe option from the TWRP home screen.
Perform a Factory Reset.
Select advanced wipe.
Check the system, data, cache, and dalvik cache options.
Swipe to wipe.
Install the ROM.
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to where you have the ROM zip stored on your sd card and select it.
Swipe to install.
Most ROMs will run an installer script at this point but some ROMs have what is called an Aroma Installer which allow you to choose some install options before the script runs.​
You will also need to install the appropriate gapps package directly after installing the ROM.
Once you've installed all necessary zips you'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button.
[SIZE=+1]8. How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
A custom kernel can open up a new level of control over your device, such as overclocking/underclocking, undervolting, changing governors, changing I/O schedulers, adjusting colour calibrations, adjusting sound calibrations, and many other options.
Download a kernel that is compatible with your current ROM.
Check the md5 to verify its integrity.
Enter TWRP recovery.
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to the kernel and select it.
Swipe to install.
You'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system. Wipe the cache/dalvik, hit the back button, and hit the reboot system button.
Once your phone has booted up you can use a kernel tuning app to change governors, I/O scheduler, clock speed, and other options. Some of the popular kernel apps are Kernel Auditor, EX Kernel Manager, Trickster Mod, No Frills, Kernel Tuner, and many more.
[SIZE=+1]9. How To Update To A New Build Of The Stock ROM[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1).
This method does not wipe your data, so you will keep your apps and settings. You should have no problems, however, if you experience problems you may need to perform a factory reset and flash again. Make a backup first and transfer it to your PC.
Download the latest build via the appropriate factory images for your model (Nexus 5X/Bullhead) here.
Note: Android 7.1.2 and newer factory images do not contain cache.img. Do not wipe the cache.img for this process when using or moving to Android 7.1.2 or newer. If you have wiped cache.img, download the most recent Android 7.1.1 factory image and flash the cache.img from that zip archive.
Unzip the bullhead-xxxxxx-factory-xxxxxxxx (x's replace variables) into a directory on your PC (for this guide we'll use C:\bullhead\).
Once unzipped you should have a folder named bullhead-xxxxxx (x's replace variables). Open it and move the following files to a new directory named C:\bullhead\images\:
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
(Please note that radio and bootloader naming changes from build to build so the filenames and below commands will change with them)
Within C:\bullhead\bullhead-xxxxxx\ you'll see another zip archive named image-bullhead-xxxxxx, unzip the contents of that zip into the C:\bullhead\images\ folder we created before. Now within C:\bullhead\images\ you should have the following files:
android-info.txt
boot.img
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
cache.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
vendor.img
Boot into the bootloader and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter these commands to flash:
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader C:\bullhead\images\bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio C:\bullhead\images\radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash boot C:\bullhead\images\boot.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot flash cache C:\bullhead\images\cache.img
fastboot flash recovery C:\bullhead\images\recovery.img
fastboot flash system C:\bullhead\images\system.img
fastboot flash vendor C:\bullhead\images\vendor.img
You can skip flashing the recovery if you wish, but even if you do the stock recovery may be patched on the first boot anyway. So you'll need to flash TWRP and SuperSU again if you need/want those, as well as any other system modifications you may have had.
You'll have to flash SuperSU again now, plus add any mods that you previously had.
[SIZE=+1]10. How To Flash The Factory Images (And Return To Stock)[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1).
This section will explain how to return the phone to be like it was when it came out of the box. This will wipe everything from the phone. If you wish to flash the factory images without wiping your personal data from the internal storage please move on to the next section.
Note: Android 7.1.2 and newer factory images do not contain cache.img. Do not wipe the cache.img for this process when using or moving to Android 7.1.2 or newer. If you have wiped cache.img, download the most recent Android 7.1.1 factory image and flash the cache.img from that zip archive.
Go to Settings/Backup & Reset and perform a factory data reset. This will remove all of your user data from the device (apps, settings, photos, music, etc).
Download the appropriate factory images for your model here.
Unzip the bullhead-xxxxxx-factory-xxxxxxxx (x's replace variables) into a directory on your PC (for this guide we'll use C:\bullhead\).
Once unzipped you should have a folder named bullhead-xxxxxx (x's replace variables). Open it and move the following files to a new directory named C:\bullhead\images\:
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
(Please note that radio and bootloader naming changes from build to build so the filenames and below commands will change with them)
Within C:\bullhead\bullhead-xxxxxx\ you'll see another zip archive named image-bullhead-xxxxxx, unzip the contents of that zip into the C:\bullhead\images\ folder we created before. Now within C:\bullhead\images\ you should have the following files:
android-info.txt
boot.img
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
cache.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
vendor.img
Boot into the bootloader and connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter these commands to flash:
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader C:\bullhead\images\bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio C:\bullhead\images\radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash boot C:\bullhead\images\boot.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot flash cache C:\bullhead\images\cache.img
fastboot flash recovery C:\bullhead\images\recovery.img
fastboot flash system C:\bullhead\images\system.img
fastboot flash vendor C:\bullhead\images\vendor.img
If you wish to you can also relock the bootloader with this command:
Code:
fastboot oem lock
(This command will wipe all user data from the device)
Important: do not lock the bootloader unless you have first flashed the stock images. Locking the bootloader while you have a custom recovery installed can result in a brick. Please also note that the locking procedure will wipe all data on an encrypted device.
Once all commands/flashes are complete you can reboot the device:
Code:
fastboot reboot
[SIZE=+1]11. How To Flash The Factory Images (Return To Stock But Leaving Internal Storage Intact)[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2). Note: Android 7.1.2 and newer factory images do not contain cache.img. Do not wipe the cache.img for this process when using or moving to Android 7.1.2 or newer. If you have wiped cache.img, download the most recent Android 7.1.1 factory image and flash the cache.img from that zip archive.
This section will explain how to return the phone to be like it was when it came out of the box, except it will not wipe any of your personal data (photos, music, etc) from the internal storage.
Download the appropriate factory images for your model here.
Unzip the bullhead-xxxxxx-factory-xxxxxxxx (x's replace variables) into a directory on your PC (for this guide we'll use C:\bullhead\).
Once unzipped you should have a folder named bullhead-xxxxxx (x's replace variables). Open it and move the following files to a new directory named C:\bullhead\images\:
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
(Please note that radio and bootloader naming changes from build to build so the filenames and below commands will change with them)
Within C:\bullhead\bullhead-xxxxxx\ you'll see another zip archive named image-bullhead-xxxxxx, unzip the contents of that zip into the C:\bullhead\images\ folder we created before. Now within C:\bullhead\images\ you should have the following files:
android-info.txt
boot.img
bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
cache.img
radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
vendor.img
Boot into TWRP recovery and enter the wipe menu, select advanced wipe, check only the data box and swipe to wipe.
Go to the TWRP main menu and enter the reboot menu, select bootloader. The phone will now boot into the bootloader, once it has you can connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter these commands to flash:
Code:
fastboot flash bootloader C:\bullhead\images\bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash radio C:\bullhead\images\radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash boot C:\bullhead\images\boot.img
fastboot erase cache
fastboot flash cache C:\bullhead\images\cache.img
fastboot flash recovery C:\bullhead\images\recovery.img
fastboot flash system C:\bullhead\images\system.img
fastboot flash vendor C:\bullhead\images\vendor.img
Once all commands/flashes are complete you can reboot the device:
Code:
fastboot reboot
FAQ can be found in post #2!
Donate To Me

[size=+1]Frequently Asked Questions[/size]
1. How do I boot into the bootloader?
Power off your device. Once it's powered off hold power + volume down and the phone will boot into the bootloader. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also use an app called Quick Boot to boot into the bootloader directly from Android (root required).
2. How do I boot into recovery?
Boot into the bootloader (see above), use the volume keys to scroll through the options and use the power button to select the recovery mode option. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot recovery
You can also use an app called Quick Boot to boot into the recovery directly from Android (root required).
3. When issuing the fastboot flashing unlock command it doesn't work, I only get a list of possible commands. What's going on?
This is usually due to having an outdated adb/fastboot setup. If you installed adb/fastboot by any means other than via the Android SDK this is probably the cause. Visit the prerequisites section in the beginning of this guide to properly install adb/fastboot and ensure that it's up to date.
4. How do I take an OTA or update if I have root or other system modifications on the stock ROM?
You can't take an OTA update while you have root or any system modifications. You'd need to use fastboot to flash the system, boot, and recovery images. It's much easier to just flash the newer build with fastboot, see section 9 of this guide for full instructions.
5. Does taking an OTA update wipe my user data?
No, it doesn't.
6. Do I need to make an EFS backup?
Absolutely yes. An EFS backup is extremely important. If your EFS partition becomes corrupt, your IMEI will disappear and you will not be able to use the phone as a phone. Without a backup it can be extremely difficult (or impossible) to restore your EFS. See the next question for an EFS backup related issue and solution.
7. I have a bootloop after restoring my EFS backup in TWRP 3.0.2-1. What can I do?
TWRP 3.0.2-1 and 3.0.2-2 are the first official TWRP releases with Nougat 7.0 or newer compatibility. Unfortunately, there are separate bugs affecting TWRP 3.0.2-1 and 3.0.2-2. A member of the TWRP development team details these issues right here. This link redirects to a thread in the Nexus 6P forums but also applies to the Nexus 5X. Read the original post of that same thread to learn how to resolve this EFS restore bootloop. You must use ADB and the phone must be booted in TWRP to resolve this issue. These ADB commands work on the Nexus 5X and 6P.
8. Can I flash just the xxxxxx.img from the factory image without losing my data?
Flashing userdata.img will format your entire phone (personal data including SMS/MMS, pictures, downloaded files, etc). You can flash any combination of these partitions (boot, system, vendor, radio, or bootloader) and this will leave your personal data intact. However, any mods that you have installed into system, vendor, or boot will be overwritten and returned to the default factory image setup when you flash these partitions. Flashing recovery.img or a newer version of your custom recovery will replace your existing recovery.
9. After updating my ROM, I get this message on every boot: "There's an internal problem with your device. Contact your manufacturer."
This warning indicates a mismatched vendor and system partition. The vendor partition was formerly integrated in the system partition for previous Nexus devices but is now a separate partition that must be flashed for each Google security update. Download a factory image and update your vendor partition using fastboot so that it matches your rom's OS build and monthly security update. If you have a file explorer installed on your phone, you can determine which vendor.img is installed by navigating to /vendor/build.prop and clicking on the build.prop. The specific vendor installed will be a combination of six numbers and letters listed in all capitals (example: NMF26F) in the ro.vendor.build.fingerprint line. These will always match up with the factory image of the same Android build (six digit alphanumeric name) for this device.
Vendor.img is specific to each OTA and contains proprietary binaries for the phone that regularly receive updates to resolve security risks. If you are a custom rom user, make sure that you flash the vendor.img for the Google monthly security update that you are moving to. Be aware that sometimes AOSP roms utilize the AOSP master branch which has a newer Android build than the monthly security update for this device. You will still need to install that month's vendor.img.
The phone will fail to boot if you mismatch the vendor.img with a different Android version. For instance, a 6.0 Marshmallow vendor.img will not allow your phone to boot on 7.0 Nougat. The vendor.img is typically not included in the custom rom zip but is often available as a separate download in the custom rom thread's first post.

Reserved #2

Reserved #3

OSX, ADB and Fastboot commands!
So you use OSX and would like to use ADB/fastboot, unlock, root, or simply have a working knowledge of your phone. Welcome! Most of the information in the guide above applies to OSX, however there are a few key changes.
Google hosts ADB/Fastboot (platform-tools) for Windows, OSX, and Linux. This is a minimal download, however these links and file sizes may be updated periodically by Google. Download the OSX platform-tools. Note that clicking the link for platform-tools will immediately start a download.
*OSX: platform-tools.
Once you have downloaded the platform-tools zip, extract the file then transfer the platform-tools folder to your desktop. The platform-tools folder contains adb, fastboot, and several other files.
To make sure your ADB is installed correctly, open a terminal command prompt and issue this cd command (change directory) to the platform-tools folder:
Code:
cd /users/username/desktop/platform-tools
then issue this command to check your adb version:
Code:
./adb version
If it returns a version number for Android Debug Bridge then you're good to go.
Using ADB/Fastboot commands
OSX natively requires "./" to prefix any ADB or Fastboot commands. If following the guide in post #1, commands issued in OSX must be written as follows ./adb [command] or ./fastboot [command]. Below are example scenarios.
To check if your device sees ADB, enable USB Debugging from within Android in Settings/Developer options. Go into Settings/About Phone, scroll down and click on build number continuously until you see a toast notification telling you that you've enabled Developer Options. Go back to your Settings menu and enter Developer Options, scroll down and enable USB Debugging.
Code:
./adb devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, adb is working.
Reboot into the bootloader:
Code:
./adb reboot bootloader
Reboot into the recovery:
Code:
./adb reboot recovery
Fastboot commands must be performed while in the bootloader. Power off your phone then boot into the bootloader (power + volume down). Below are some example OSX fastboot commands that can be used throughout the guide:
Check if your device sees fastboot:
Code:
./fastboot devices
Install a factory image:
cd into the platform-tools folder with the following command:
Code:
cd /users/username/desktop/platform-tools
Now enter commands to flash a factory image:
Code:
./fastboot flash bootloader /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/bootloader-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
./fastboot reboot-bootloader
./fastboot flash radio /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/radio-bullhead-bullhead-xx.xx.img
./fastboot reboot-bootloader
./fastboot flash boot /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/boot.img
./fastboot erase cache
./fastboot flash cache /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/cache.img
./fastboot flash recovery /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/recovery.img
./fastboot flash system /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/system.img
./fastboot flash vendor /users/username/desktop/bullhead/images/vendor.img

@Heisenberg you mind if i create an index thread?

reyscott1968 said:
@Heisenberg you mind if i create an index thread?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go right ahead, first in best dressed as far as I'm concerned. It is a fair bit of work to keep an index maintained though, as long as you're aware. There's a new template for indexes too, using your Google goggles you should be able to track it down pretty easily.

Heisenberg said:
Go right ahead, first in best dressed as far as I'm concerned. It is a fair bit of work to keep an index maintained though, as long as you're aware. There's a new template for indexes too, using your Google goggles you should be able to track it down pretty easily.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
il take note.. il update the thread once im back on my pc.. now still at work ...

Deleted...
Should have read the first lines in the OP

Cant wait, should have mine around october 30th.

Might want to point out the cable /adapter required to connect to pc. (I just saw that it's not included with the phone.)

AquilaDroid said:
Might want to point out the cable /adapter required to connect to pc. (I just saw that it's not included with the phone.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I picked up a few of these to get me by for now until the price of Type-C goes down a bit http://www.ebay.com/itm/381344035966

I ordered one along with my phone, will be helpful for flashing.

Thanks, a friend of mine pre order this phone, I'll follow these steps

Thanks for starting this, these were some of the most helpful threads in the N5 forum.
For Mac users who have upgraded to El Capitan, the adb/fastboot installation doesn't necessarily work perfectly right now. I'm sure the Android SDK package will update for this, but in the mean time:
Install adb/fastboot as usual similar to this thread, or for specifics:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1917237
but, once you test this with [adb devices] or [fastboot devices] you'll most likely get a command not found error.
You'll need to add a line to your ~/.bash_profile, per this reddit thread
add the following line to your ~/.bash_profile, changing username to your mac username
Code:
export PATH="/usr/local/lib/node_modules:/usr/local/apache-maven-3.0.3/bin:/Users/[B]username[/B]/.composer/vendor/bin:/Users/[B]username[/B]/Library/Android/sdk/platform-tools:$PATH"
exit, save, then run
Code:
source ~/.bash_profile
then adb/fastboot should be good to go like before!

OP has best username ever
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Doesn't work!
Code:
C:\Users\Kevin\Downloads\Nexus 5x>fastboot oem unlock
...
FAILED (remote: oem unlock is not allowed)
finished. total time: 0.017s
C:\Users\Kevin\Downloads\Nexus 5x>fastboot flashing unlock
...
FAILED (remote: oem unlock is not allowed)
finished. total time: 0.014s
C:\Users\Kevin\Downloads\Nexus 5x>fastboot flashing unlock_critical
...
FAILED (remote: oem unlock is not allowed)
finished. total time: 0.011s
C:\Users\Kevin\Downloads\Nexus 5x>fastboot flashing get_unlock_ability
...
(bootloader) get_unlock_ability: 0
OKAY [ 0.020s]
finished. total time: 0.022s

The-Kevster said:
Doesn't work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you allow OEM Unlock in developer options?
Go into Settings/About Phone, scroll down and click on “build number” continuously until you see a toast notification telling you that you've enabled Developer Options. Go back to your Settings menu and enter Developer Options, scroll down and click on the “Enable OEM Unlock” checkbox, also make sure you enable USB Debugging while you're in the Developer Options menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Does the 5X have the hardware QFuse that that pops when you unlock the bootloader like the 6P?

KidWave said:
Does the 5X have the hardware QFuse that that pops when you unlock the bootloader like the 6P?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They both use Qualcomm based chips so yes the same thing would happen on the 5X.

Guide: How To Unlock/Root/Flash for Pixel XL (Marlin)

[SIZE=+3]How-To Guide For Beginners[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+2]Pixel XL (Marlin)[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=+3]Intro[/SIZE]
This thread will serve as a location for basic how-to guides for the Pixel XL (Marlin). I'm going to start off with a couple of the more obvious ones and go from there.
[size=+3]Prerequisites[/size]:
If you are on Verizon, please follow dePixel8 guidelines prior to using this thread
Always update your phone to the latest build available before starting the unlocking/rooting process.
You'll need a working adb/fastboot environment on your PC to get through some of these guides.
You must have Java installed and up to date in order to use the SDK Manager, please ensure that this is taken care of before installing the SDK.
Please do not install adb/fastboot via any means other than the Android SDK, using other tools (like Minimal adb & fastboot) can lead to an outdated setup and various problems with flashing. You've been warned, other tools will not be supported in this thread.
Go here to download the Android SDK, which will give you most updated version of adb and fastboot. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find Other Download Options>SDK Tools Only, and grab the right version for your OS. While it's downloading create a folder in C: called SDK (C:SDK). Once you've downloaded the zip you can extract it into your C:SDK folder. Navigate to C:SDKandroid-sdk-windows and open SDK Manager.exe. In SDK Manager you need to install the following packages:
Tools> Android SDK Tools, Android SDK Platform-tools
Extras> Android Support Library, Google USB Driver
Once you have installed those, inside C:SDK you should see some new folders, one of them will be called platform-tools, within that folder you should see fastboot.exe and adb.exe. I'll refer to this as your fastboot folder/directory or working folder/directory during this guide. To make sure adb is correctly installed, open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (hold shift + right click, select open command prompt here) and issue this command:
Code:
adb version
If it returns a version number for Android Debug Bridge then you're good to go.
You can test adb by connecting your device to your PC while booted into Android (making sure that adb/usb debugging is enabled in Settings>Developer Options) with the screen unlocked and issuing this command:
Code:
adb devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, adb is working.
You can test fastboot by connecting your device to your PC while booted into the bootloader (power + volume down) and issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if so, fastboot is working.
[SIZE=+3]Quick Tips[/SIZE]
How to boot into the bootloader:
Power off your device. Once it's powered off hold power + volume down and the phone will boot into the bootloader. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
[SIZE=+3]Index[/SIZE]
Post #1
1. How To Unlock Your Bootloader
2. How To Install A Custom Recovery On Your Device
3. How To Root with TWRP Recovery
4. How To Root with via Fastboot (No Recovery)
Post #2
5. How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery
6. How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery
7. How To Install A Custom Kernel Using Fasboot
8. How To Flash The Factory Images (Return To Stock)
9. How To Flash The Factory Images (Return To Stock But Leaving Internal Storage Intact)
[SIZE=+3]1. How To Unlock Your Bootloader[/SIZE]
Go into Settings/About Phone, scroll down and click on “build number” continuously until you see a toast notification telling you that you've enabled Developer Options. Go back to your Settings menu and enter Developer Options, scroll down and click on the “Enable OEM Unlock” checkbox, also make sure you enable USB Debugging while you're in the Developer Options menu.
Power off your phone then boot into the bootloader (power + volume down).
Connect your phone to your PC via usb cable.
Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here).
Check your fastboot connection by issuing this command:
Code:
fastboot devices
It should return your device serial number, if not you need to make sure your drivers are installed correctly.​
Once you've confirmed your fastboot connection issue the unlock command:
Code:
fastboot flashing unlock
This will erase all user data from the device!
You should now see a screen on your phone asking you to confirm this action, use the volume keys to scroll and the power key to confirm if you're sure you want to go ahead.
Allow the process to complete and then issue this command:
Code:
fastboot reboot
Allow everything to go ahead and once finished you can disconnect your usb cable.
Note: After unlocking your bootloader, each time your phone boots up you'll be greeted with a warning that says "Your device software can't be checked for corruption. Please lock the bootloader". This is nothing to worry about, it's normal to see this when you have an unlocked bootloader. You can't remove it, as long as your bootloader is unlocked it will stay there.
Important: do not relock your bootloader unless your phone is fully stock. You must flash the factory images first in order to remove root and custom recovery (if you have them), if this precaution isn't taken you may end up with a brick. Please see section 10 of this guide for full instructions on how to return to stock.
[SIZE=+3]2. How To Install TWRP On Your Device[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1).
Warning: TWRP is currently in RC1 phase and is not fully stable, flash at your own risk.
This guide assumes you have just unlocked your bootloader and are otherwise stock, NO root yet.
Download the necessary files (IMG and Zip) from the TWRP website and add the TWRP zip to your internal storage: https://dl.twrp.me/marlin/
Place the IMG file in your fastboot folder (this is where fastboot.exe is located on your PC)
Boot into the bootloader. Open a command prompt from within your fastboot folder (navigate to where you have fastboot.exe located on your PC, shift + right click anywhere within that folder, select open command prompt here), enter this command:
Code:
fastboot boot path/to/twrp.img
(The TWRP filename in the command will change depending on which recovery you're flashing)
This will temporarily boot TWRP on your device. If you are using a lockscreen pin/pattern/password and do not get prompted to enter your password, reboot to the bootloader and try again. Go to install and browse to the zip and install the TWRP zip
[SIZE=+3]3. How To Root[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
Download the latest SuperSU of your choosing to your phone:
https://download.chainfire.eu/1013/SuperSU/SR4-SuperSU-v2.78-SR4-20161115184928.zip
Boot into TWRP recovery and enter the install menu.
Navigate to where you have SuperSU stored on your internal storage and select it.
Swipe to install.
Thats it, reboot and you should have TWRP and SuperSU installed
[SIZE=+3]4. How To Root via Fastboot[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1)
Special Note: This is for users who do not have or want TWRP installed and want to run stock root
Download Chainfire's root-marlin-pixelxl.zip located here: https://download.chainfire.eu/1011/CF-Root1/root-marlin-pixelxl.zip
Extract Chainfire's zip and follow the instructions in the read me
Code:
***** The short guide *****
*BOOT* (do not flash!) the supplied image, and wait a few minutes:
fastboot boot boot-to-root.img
***** The long guide *****
Before you root your device, you need to unlock your bootloader, if you haven't done so yet.
If you are using a Verizon device, you need a special tool for that. Go find that first.
- Boot into Android
- Enable developer options
--- Settings -> About phone -> Build number: tap 7 times
- Enable OEM unlocking
--- Settings -> Developer Options -> OEM unlocking
- Go into bootloader mode
--- Turn off device
--- Hold volume down and power
- Run "fastboot flashing unlock" and follow the on-screen instructions
--- This will wipe your device
To root your device:
- Go into bootloader mode, if not there already
--- Turn off device
--- Hold volume down and power
- Run "fastboot boot boot-to-root.img"
--- Wait for a few minutes. The device will reboot at least twice
- You should be rooted once Android is fully booted up
*****
Enjoy!
- Chainfire
XDA:DevDB Information
Guide: How To Unlock/Root/Flash for Pixel XL (Marlin), Tool/Utility for the Google Pixel XL
Contributors
bajasur, The Flash, beanstown106, @micmars
Version Information
Status: Testing
Created 2016-11-27
Last Updated 2016-11-26

[SIZE=+3]5. How To Install A ROM with TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
Pending......
[SIZE=+3]6. How To Install A Custom Kernel With TWRP Recovery[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1), TWRP recovery (section 2).
A custom kernel can open up a new level of control over your device, such as overclocking/underclocking, undervolting, changing governors, changing I/O schedulers, adjusting colour calibrations, adjusting sound calibrations, and many other options.
Download a kernel that is compatible with your current ROM.
Check the md5 to verify its integrity.
Enter TWRP recovery.
Select the install option from the TWRP home screen.
Navigate to the kernel and select it.
Swipe to install.
You'll have an option to wipe cache/dalvik and an option to reboot system, hit the reboot system button.
Once your phone has booted up you can use a kernel tuning app to change governors, I/O scheduler, clock speed, and other options. Some of the popular kernel apps are Kernel Auditor, Trickster Mod, No Frills, Kernel Tuner, and many more.
[SIZE=+3]7. How To Install A Custom Kernel via Fastboot[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1)
This guide is for users who DO NOT have TWRP installed, and want to Fastboot flash custom kernels.
Check the md5 to verify its integrity.
Download the kernel file you want to flash from whichever kernel developer you'd like
Place the file in your fastboot folder
Open a command prompt within that folder and run
Code:
fastboot flash kernel kernel_binary
kernel_binary will be replaced with whatever the file name (ie fk-r5.gz for Franco's Kernel)
Reboot your device.
Special Note: You may lose root if you had SuperSU pre-installed, you will need to re root following Section 4 (How to Root via Fastboot)

[SIZE=+1]8. How To Flash The Factory Images (And Return To Stock)[/SIZE]
Prerequisites: unlocked bootloader (section 1).
This section will explain how to return the phone to be like it was when it came out of the box. This will wipe everything from the phone. If you wish to flash the factory images without wiping your personal data from the internal storage please move on to the next section.
Download the appropriate factory images for your model https://developers.google.com/android/images
Unzip the marlin-xxxxxx-factory-xxxxxxxx (marlin-nmf26o-factory-4f68765c) into a directory on your PC (for this guide we'll use C:\marlin\).
Once unzipped you should have a folder named marlin-xxxxxx (marlin-nmf26o).
Move the contents of this folder into your Fastboot/ADB environment so that you can run fastboot and adb commands. (Note: I do the opposite and move the most current fastboot and ADB from the Android SDK into this folder)
Look for the windows batch file named "flash-all.bat" and double click on it. This should begin the proper full clean flash of all images back to stock. This should take a few minutes, but eventually your phone should reboot on its own and take you to the Android set up screen.
If you wish to you can also relock the bootloader with this command:
Code:
fastboot flashing lock
(This command will wipe all user data from the device)
Important: do not lock the bootloader unless you have first flashed the stock images. Locking the bootloader while you have a custom recovery installed can result in a brick. Please also note that the locking procedure will wipe all user data from the device.
Once all commands/flashes are complete you can reboot the device:
Code:
fastboot reboot

[size=+4]Frequently Asked Questions[/size]
1. How do I boot into the bootloader?
Power off your device. Once it's powered off hold power + volume down and the phone will boot into the bootloader. You can also use the following adb command:
Code:
adb reboot bootloader
2. When issuing the fastboot flashing unlock command it doesn't work, I only get a list of possible commands. What's going on?
This is usually due to having an outdated adb/fastboot setup. If you installed adb/fastboot by any means other than via the Android SDK this is probably the cause. Visit the prerequisites section in the beginning of this guide to properly install adb/fastboot and ensure that it's up to date.​
3. After unlocking the bootloader I get a message that says "Your device software can't be checked for corruption. Please lock the bootloader". What's going on? Can I get rid of it?
This is nothing to worry about, it's normal to see this when you have an unlocked bootloader. You can't remove it, as long as your bootloader is locked it will stay there.​
4. How do I take an OTA or update if I have root or other system modifications on the stock ROM?
You can't take an OTA update while you have root or any system modifications. You'd need to use fastboot to flash the system, boot, and recovery images. It's much easier to just flash the newer build with fastboot.​
5. Does taking an OTA update wipe my user data?
No, it doesn't.​
6. Do I need to flash the userdata.img from the factory images?
You should never flash the userdata image. It doesn't take into consideration the storage capacity of the device and always allocates 32gb of storage. This is ok for the 32gb model, but for the 64gb and 128gb models you'll end up with much less storage capacity than you should have. If you wish to wipe your internal storage you'd use the following command instead:
Code:
fastboot format userdata
More to come, special thanks to @Heisenberg for his excellent guide format​

Reservation

Don't forget to pin this

Dude, awesome

Looking good @bajasur!

Nice! Great job...should definitely be pinned

Thanks so much @bajasur! I always used the one by the famous @Heisenberg for the 6P and its great to have one for the Pixel XL.
Any plans to also include the step-by-step for restoring back to stock?

MinimalistChris said:
Thanks so much @bajasur! I always used the one by the famous @Heisenberg for the 6P and its great to have one for the Pixel XL.
Any plans to also include the step-by-step for restoring back to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, there is a lot more to come. For now to restore to stock I recommend running the flash-all.bat file that comes within the factory image folder.
A detailed step by step image flashing guide will be linked in the next few days.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app

Thanks @bajasur! We can still use this to unlock and root from NDE63X correct?

oneandroidnut said:
Thanks @bajasur! We can still use this to unlock and root from NDE63X correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Negative
For Verizon you need to follow the unlock method provided by DePixel Devs. Once you have unlocked the rooting and twrp methods should work.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app

bajasur said:
Negative
For Verizon you need to follow the unlock method provided by DePixel Devs. Once you have unlocked the rooting and twrp methods should work.
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I should have clarified it is a Google Store edition just with verizon sim and X software. I can just unlock it like normal correct?

oneandroidnut said:
Sorry I should have clarified it is a Google Store edition just with verizon sim and X software. I can just unlock it like normal correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep! That should work fine ☺
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app

bajasur said:
Yep! That should work fine
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome I am trying to wait until TWRP is stable but im inpatient lol

So this is not the correct guide for a Verizon Pixel is it? Besides the sunshine website has anyone made a guide like this yet for the Verizon model

aholeinthewor1d said:
So this is not the correct guide for a Verizon Pixel is it? Besides the sunshine website has anyone made a guide like this yet for the Verizon model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Other than flashing dePixel8 to allow bootloader unlocking, all other steps are identical.

aholeinthewor1d said:
So this is not the correct guide for a Verizon Pixel is it? Besides the sunshine website has anyone made a guide like this yet for the Verizon model
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll clarify in the OP regarding Verizon devices but yes that should be the case
Sent from my Pixel XL using XDA-Developers mobile app

Does rooting without TWRP cause bootloops on NDE63V? I tried it with the all-in-one tool and couldn't get my Pixel to boot past the 4 dots when I was on NDE63V.
I have since flashed the Npf26j update. Would it be safe to root via chainfire's method? Wanted to avoid TWRP for now incase I get the data drain bug.
Thanks!

Do you know how recovery essential phone from the corrupt?

After several steps after installed twrp, now my essential phone is like these:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}

Chiminwon said:
After several steps after installed twrp, now my essential phone is like these:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you rephrase what your question is? I would like to help but can't figure out what you are explaining. I'm assuming you have unlocked the bootloader. I had some problems with this phone at first too. Most of the problems when compared to other phones is that Essential Phone has 2 partitions, like the Pixel. For simplicity, one is sort of the ACTIVE side and the other INACTIVE side. It has some learning. If you are just trying to get up and running try these steps...
1- Wipe data using fastboot command fastboot -w ---- locate the Stock ROM section in Essentials forum here on XDA and get the current STOCK build for your needs. Download it. And flash it in fastboot using the flash-all.bat file. Most will flash the files to both partitions, if it does not use the command in the next step to switch partitions and flash the other side too. This will set your phone back to stock and it should boot nicely. If you wish to root then proceed. BOOT INTO THE STOCK OS EVEN IF YOU ARE STILL GOING TO ROOT THE DEVICE. JUST BOOT UP, THEN REBOOT TO THE BOOTLOADER. DONT SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE AND DO NOT SET LOCK OR PASSWORD OR FINGERPRINT YET
2- Follow step one and then reboot into fastboot and use command fastboot set_active other --------- this will do two things. It will switch your partition and also tell you which one it switched to. There is an A side and a B sideFOR THIS EXAMPLE WE WILL PRETEND THAT AFTERYOU SWITCHED YOU ARE ON SIDE B
3- Stay in fastboot and flash twrp11mata using fastboot command fastboot flash boot exactTWRPfilename.img ------ this will boot you into TWRP on the B side
This next rule is very importantTWRP flashes a zip and a img file different. ZIP ROM FILES FLASH TO THE OPPOSITE PARTITION, IMG FILES flash to the partition that you are currently using. So, if you booted into TWRP on the "b" side and without switching flashed a new kernel or boot image it would install to the same "b" side you are on. If you did the same with a ROM it would install to the 'a" side. So, at some point you have to switch sides from within TWRP in the Reboot tab.
4- Copy your Roms/files to your phones internal memory and then flash using twrp. Flash the ROM not sideload. Flashing is for new roms, sideload is for updates to existing ROM. Back to our example, you booted into TWRP on side b, if you install new rom it will install on side A. Lets keep that idea going for the example. BE AWARE THAT IN THIS TYPE OF DEVICE, using our example where we flashed the rom to the A side (from TWRP on the B side), that side will not have TWRP. It will have stock recovery.
5- once the rom is flashed reboot system. (wipe cache / dont wipe cache.. I havent noticed a difference with either mindset) It will switch your partitions upon reboot if you don't do anything else in twrp.
So for our example this is what happened:
Wiped data from both partitions of the PH-1, side "a" and side "b"
Went BACK-TO-STOCK on BOTH sides
BOOTED INTO STOCK ROM ON THE SIDE WE WISH TO BE OUR ACTIVE SIDE***DID NOT SET UP GOOGLE OR PIN/FINGERPRINT/PASSCODE****
reboot into bootloader
Used Fastboot to switch partitions and installed TWRP to the INACTIVE side. Boot into twrp.
In TWRP, copied new files to phone storage the flashed new ROM Remember it will install it to the other side which is our ACTIVE side
reboot system.
If this helped at all and got you running great. Rooting is simple from here. This phone was the first device I ever rooted so I took my lumps so I hope I offered some tips that I didn't find or understand fully at first. Happy exploring. Ask away if I can help further.

KingBeefy said:
Could you rephrase what your question is? I would like to help but can't figure out what you are explaining. I'm assuming you have unlocked the bootloader. I had some problems with this phone at first too. Most of the problems when compared to other phones is that Essential Phone has 2 partitions, like the Pixel. For simplicity, one is sort of the ACTIVE side and the other INACTIVE side. It has some learning. If you are just trying to get up and running try these steps...
1- Wipe data using fastboot command fastboot -w ---- locate the Stock ROM section in Essentials forum here on XDA and get the current STOCK build for your needs. Download it. And flash it in fastboot using the flash-all.bat file. Most will flash the files to both partitions, if it does not use the command in the next step to switch partitions and flash the other side too. This will set your phone back to stock and it should boot nicely. If you wish to root then proceed. BOOT INTO THE STOCK OS EVEN IF YOU ARE STILL GOING TO ROOT THE DEVICE. JUST BOOT UP, THEN REBOOT TO THE BOOTLOADER. DONT SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE AND DO NOT SET LOCK OR PASSWORD OR FINGERPRINT YET
2- Follow step one and then reboot into fastboot and use command fastboot set_active other --------- this will do two things. It will switch your partition and also tell you which one it switched to. There is an A side and a B sideFOR THIS EXAMPLE WE WILL PRETEND THAT AFTERYOU SWITCHED YOU ARE ON SIDE B
3- Stay in fastboot and flash twrp11mata using fastboot command fastboot flash boot exactTWRPfilename.img ------ this will boot you into TWRP on the B side
This next rule is very importantTWRP flashes a zip and a img file different. ZIP ROM FILES FLASH TO THE OPPOSITE PARTITION, IMG FILES flash to the partition that you are currently using. So, if you booted into TWRP on the "b" side and without switching flashed a new kernel or boot image it would install to the same "b" side you are on. If you did the same with a ROM it would install to the 'a" side. So, at some point you have to switch sides from within TWRP in the Reboot tab.
4- Copy your Roms/files to your phones internal memory and then flash using twrp. Flash the ROM not sideload. Flashing is for new roms, sideload is for updates to existing ROM. Back to our example, you booted into TWRP on side b, if you install new rom it will install on side A. Lets keep that idea going for the example. BE AWARE THAT IN THIS TYPE OF DEVICE, using our example where we flashed the rom to the A side (from TWRP on the B side), that side will not have TWRP. It will have stock recovery.
5- once the rom is flashed reboot system. (wipe cache / dont wipe cache.. I havent noticed a difference with either mindset) It will switch your partitions upon reboot if you don't do anything else in twrp.
So for our example this is what happened:
Wiped data from both partitions of the PH-1, side "a" and side "b"
Went BACK-TO-STOCK on BOTH sides
BOOTED INTO STOCK ROM ON THE SIDE WE WISH TO BE OUR ACTIVE SIDE***DID NOT SET UP GOOGLE OR PIN/FINGERPRINT/PASSCODE****
reboot into bootloader
Used Fastboot to switch partitions and installed TWRP to the INACTIVE side. Boot into twrp.
In TWRP, copied new files to phone storage the flashed new ROM Remember it will install it to the other side which is our ACTIVE side
reboot system.
If this helped at all and got you running great. Rooting is simple from here. This phone was the first device I ever rooted so I took my lumps so I hope I offered some tips that I didn't find or understand fully at first. Happy exploring. Ask away if I can help further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello
I have an essential ph1 phone I bought new from a friend
I registered my google account and secured the phone with a fingerprint
While the update request protection orio8.1 agreed to download and update
Complete the phone Download the update The installation process then stuck a logo ,,
Now the phone is working on fastboot mode only
I can not log into recovery
bootloader lock
oem lock
usb debogen lock
I could not flash any picture ....
I hope anyone who can help me help me solve the problem and thank you

@mouraj2 have you done both commands:
Fastboot flashing unlock
Fastboot flashing unlock critical
---both are needed
Also, I'd recommend getting the current build for your ph-1 from here on xda or essential. Find the firmware you need/want and flash the BTS (back to stock) flash-all.bat. That flashes from fastboot lol. Don't download the OTA get the images file. Easier.
I don't know much about modding phones in general but i can work my way around a ph-1 for sure lol. PM me if u have any more questions

KingBeefy said:
@mouraj2 have you done both commands:
Fastboot flashing unlock
Fastboot flashing unlock critical
---both are needed
Also, I'd recommend getting the current build for your ph-1 from here on xda or essential. Find the firmware you need/want and flash the BTS (back to stock) flash-all.bat. That flashes from fastboot lol. Don't download the OTA get the images file. Easier.
I don't know much about modding phones in general but i can work my way around a ph-1 for sure lol. PM me if u have any more questions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader does not open
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>Fastboot flashing unlock
...
FAILED (remote: Flashing Unlock is not allowed
)
finished. total time: -0.000s

mouraj2 said:
The bootloader does not open
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>Fastboot flashing unlock
...
FAILED (remote: Flashing Unlock is not allowed
)
finished. total time: -0.000s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to boot the phone and get into developer mode.
You will need to go into settings, about and tap the build 7 times.
Then go into developer settings and enable boot loader unlock.

tech_head said:
You need to boot the phone and get into developer mode.
You will need to go into settings, about and tap the build 7 times.
Then go into developer settings and enable boot loader unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can not phone stuck on the logo
It does not go into recovery also attached to the logo

mouraj2 said:
The bootloader does not open
C:\Program Files (x86)\Minimal ADB and Fastboot>Fastboot flashing unlock
...
FAILED (remote: Flashing Unlock is not allowed
)
finished. total time: -0.000s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Go to the essential website and download the latest windows drivers for the PH-1. It's not communicating with the phone. When you type the command "fastboot devices" it is probably not showing any connection to the device , right ?

KingBeefy said:
Could you rephrase what your question is? I would like to help but can't figure out what you are explaining. I'm assuming you have unlocked the bootloader. I had some problems with this phone at first too. Most of the problems when compared to other phones is that Essential Phone has 2 partitions, like the Pixel. For simplicity, one is sort of the ACTIVE side and the other INACTIVE side. It has some learning. If you are just trying to get up and running try these steps...
1- Wipe data using fastboot command fastboot -w ---- locate the Stock ROM section in Essentials forum here on XDA and get the current STOCK build for your needs. Download it. And flash it in fastboot using the flash-all.bat file. Most will flash the files to both partitions, if it does not use the command in the next step to switch partitions and flash the other side too. This will set your phone back to stock and it should boot nicely. If you wish to root then proceed. BOOT INTO THE STOCK OS EVEN IF YOU ARE STILL GOING TO ROOT THE DEVICE. JUST BOOT UP, THEN REBOOT TO THE BOOTLOADER. DONT SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE AND DO NOT SET LOCK OR PASSWORD OR FINGERPRINT YET
2- Follow step one and then reboot into fastboot and use command fastboot set_active other --------- this will do two things. It will switch your partition and also tell you which one it switched to. There is an A side and a B sideFOR THIS EXAMPLE WE WILL PRETEND THAT AFTERYOU SWITCHED YOU ARE ON SIDE B
3- Stay in fastboot and flash twrp11mata using fastboot command fastboot flash boot exactTWRPfilename.img ------ this will boot you into TWRP on the B side
This next rule is very importantTWRP flashes a zip and a img file different. ZIP ROM FILES FLASH TO THE OPPOSITE PARTITION, IMG FILES flash to the partition that you are currently using. So, if you booted into TWRP on the "b" side and without switching flashed a new kernel or boot image it would install to the same "b" side you are on. If you did the same with a ROM it would install to the 'a" side. So, at some point you have to switch sides from within TWRP in the Reboot tab.
4- Copy your Roms/files to your phones internal memory and then flash using twrp. Flash the ROM not sideload. Flashing is for new roms, sideload is for updates to existing ROM. Back to our example, you booted into TWRP on side b, if you install new rom it will install on side A. Lets keep that idea going for the example. BE AWARE THAT IN THIS TYPE OF DEVICE, using our example where we flashed the rom to the A side (from TWRP on the B side), that side will not have TWRP. It will have stock recovery.
5- once the rom is flashed reboot system. (wipe cache / dont wipe cache.. I havent noticed a difference with either mindset) It will switch your partitions upon reboot if you don't do anything else in twrp.
So for our example this is what happened:
Wiped data from both partitions of the PH-1, side "a" and side "b"
Went BACK-TO-STOCK on BOTH sides
BOOTED INTO STOCK ROM ON THE SIDE WE WISH TO BE OUR ACTIVE SIDE***DID NOT SET UP GOOGLE OR PIN/FINGERPRINT/PASSCODE****
reboot into bootloader
Used Fastboot to switch partitions and installed TWRP to the INACTIVE side. Boot into twrp.
In TWRP, copied new files to phone storage the flashed new ROM Remember it will install it to the other side which is our ACTIVE side
reboot system.
If this helped at all and got you running great. Rooting is simple from here. This phone was the first device I ever rooted so I took my lumps so I hope I offered some tips that I didn't find or understand fully at first. Happy exploring. Ask away if I can help further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
mouraj2 said:
Hello
I have an essential ph1 phone I bought new from a friend
I registered my google account and secured the phone with a fingerprint
While the update request protection orio8.1 agreed to download and update
Complete the phone Download the update The installation process then stuck a logo ,,
Now the phone is working on fastboot mode only
I can not log into recovery
bootloader lock
oem lock
usb debogen lock
I could not flash any picture ....
I hope anyone who can help me help me solve the problem and thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The computer knows the phone in fastboot mode Shaper that the bootloader is closed and did not accept the opening and did not accept the update There is no way to cancel the update from the fastboot commands to complete the update

KingBeefy said:
Could you rephrase what your question is? I would like to help but can't figure out what you are explaining. I'm assuming you have unlocked the bootloader. I had some problems with this phone at first too. Most of the problems when compared to other phones is that Essential Phone has 2 partitions, like the Pixel. For simplicity, one is sort of the ACTIVE side and the other INACTIVE side. It has some learning. If you are just trying to get up and running try these steps...
1- Wipe data using fastboot command fastboot -w ---- locate the Stock ROM section in Essentials forum here on XDA and get the current STOCK build for your needs. Download it. And flash it in fastboot using the flash-all.bat file. Most will flash the files to both partitions, if it does not use the command in the next step to switch partitions and flash the other side too. This will set your phone back to stock and it should boot nicely. If you wish to root then proceed. BOOT INTO THE STOCK OS EVEN IF YOU ARE STILL GOING TO ROOT THE DEVICE. JUST BOOT UP, THEN REBOOT TO THE BOOTLOADER. DONT SIGN INTO YOUR GOOGLE AND DO NOT SET LOCK OR PASSWORD OR FINGERPRINT YET
2- Follow step one and then reboot into fastboot and use command fastboot set_active other --------- this will do two things. It will switch your partition and also tell you which one it switched to. There is an A side and a B sideFOR THIS EXAMPLE WE WILL PRETEND THAT AFTERYOU SWITCHED YOU ARE ON SIDE B
3- Stay in fastboot and flash twrp11mata using fastboot command fastboot flash boot exactTWRPfilename.img ------ this will boot you into TWRP on the B side
This next rule is very importantTWRP flashes a zip and a img file different. ZIP ROM FILES FLASH TO THE OPPOSITE PARTITION, IMG FILES flash to the partition that you are currently using. So, if you booted into TWRP on the "b" side and without switching flashed a new kernel or boot image it would install to the same "b" side you are on. If you did the same with a ROM it would install to the 'a" side. So, at some point you have to switch sides from within TWRP in the Reboot tab.
4- Copy your Roms/files to your phones internal memory and then flash using twrp. Flash the ROM not sideload. Flashing is for new roms, sideload is for updates to existing ROM. Back to our example, you booted into TWRP on side b, if you install new rom it will install on side A. Lets keep that idea going for the example. BE AWARE THAT IN THIS TYPE OF DEVICE, using our example where we flashed the rom to the A side (from TWRP on the B side), that side will not have TWRP. It will have stock recovery.
5- once the rom is flashed reboot system. (wipe cache / dont wipe cache.. I havent noticed a difference with either mindset) It will switch your partitions upon reboot if you don't do anything else in twrp.
So for our example this is what happened:
Wiped data from both partitions of the PH-1, side "a" and side "b"
Went BACK-TO-STOCK on BOTH sides
BOOTED INTO STOCK ROM ON THE SIDE WE WISH TO BE OUR ACTIVE SIDE***DID NOT SET UP GOOGLE OR PIN/FINGERPRINT/PASSCODE****
reboot into bootloader
Used Fastboot to switch partitions and installed TWRP to the INACTIVE side. Boot into twrp.
In TWRP, copied new files to phone storage the flashed new ROM Remember it will install it to the other side which is our ACTIVE side
reboot system.
If this helped at all and got you running great. Rooting is simple from here. This phone was the first device I ever rooted so I took my lumps so I hope I offered some tips that I didn't find or understand fully at first. Happy exploring. Ask away if I can help further.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi King,
I am hoping you can help. I never enabled USB debugging. I did wipe the phone but cannot run any ADB commands, only fastboot commands. The phone will not run recovery and I'm really hoping I can get some help to recover this phone. Essential won't help as the phone is off warranty. I was able to unlock the phone but cannot seem to load anything via Fastboot as the phone won't allow loading due to the USB debugging not being enabled. I was hoping for a way to enable it via Fastboot.
Thanks,
Grant

mouraj2 said:
Hello
I have an essential ph1 phone I bought new from a friend
I registered my google account and secured the phone with a fingerprint
While the update request protection orio8.1 agreed to download and update
Complete the phone Download the update The installation process then stuck a logo ,,
Now the phone is working on fastboot mode only
I can not log into recovery
bootloader lock
oem lock
usb debogen lock
I could not flash any picture ....
I hope anyone who can help me help me solve the problem and thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the same problem here,
My phone is stuck on Essential log when I turned it on,
I can access Bootloader normally but the device is locked so I cant flash it,
Recovery is corrupted, when I try to star it, it shows only the the Essential log and freeze so I can not format or wipe or sideload.
OEM Locked and unchecked
USB Debugging is unchecked
and I can't flash anything,
Did you managed to unlock it through Fastboot command or any other way ?
I wish I can just login to the recovery or unlock it so I can flash it clean,
Kindly help me if you found a way out
Thank you

You are both out of luck. I don't know what everyone is thinking by telling you to do all the normal instructions to fix your phones when you plainly say that you get a CORRUPT red warning a boot and at recovery, and you never OEM unlocked your phones to be able to unlock the boot-loader. So I am sorry to tell you this but your phones are garbage. I have the same red corrupt warning at boot and recovery just goes to boot-loader, but I DID unlock my boot-loader, so I am going to erase my critical partitions and flash them on both slots to see if that works. Funny thing, I finally figured out a way to boot into the OS... I just boot and when the red corrupt warning comes on I press the volume buttons randomly and hold them down randomly and at some odd point it just boots up. So weird, it is definitely a bad flash that didn't stick or the image was corrupt, or maybe the image was modded incorrectly. I flashed a patched boot image and that's when the red corrupt warning came up. I am not saying it was the patched boot file, I might have flashed it wrong, like over an already patched boot, which I read is a no no. But now I wonder....should I erase the critical partitions and flashall? And does that "erase" command wipe the partition's data or the partition as a whole??? Or, should I try formatting the critical partitions instead? Anyone know what the correct course of action is here? Or even just what is the BEST one is??? I was lucky to get into the OS because I lost USB debug when I flashed the latest security update trying to fix this. Also, I burned through a data cable somehow too. SMH. OK, Please advise me as to what I should do so that I don't Essentially end up using this phone as part of my chimney. TYIA!
---------- Post added at 03:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:35 PM ----------
A.I.M said:
I have the same problem here,
My phone is stuck on Essential log when I turned it on,
I can access Bootloader normally but the device is locked so I cant flash it,
Recovery is corrupted, when I try to star it, it shows only the the Essential log and freeze so I can not format or wipe or sideload.
OEM Locked and unchecked
USB Debugging is unchecked
and I can't flash anything,
Did you managed to unlock it through Fastboot command or any other way ?
I wish I can just login to the recovery or unlock it so I can flash it clean,
Kindly help me if you found a way out
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OEM locked is unchecked and you have no access to it? Thats a brick. Unless you can get an ADB connection while your phone bootloops.
SOMEtimes I could get in before my phone booted but highly unlikely.