[ONE Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Heisenberg:
[SIZE=+3]Frequently Asked Questions[/SIZE]

[SIZE=+2]OnePlus One[/SIZE]

​

This a short list of frequently asked questions in this device forum and the answers often given as a response. It should serve as a starting point for gathering knowledge and finding solutions to many common problems. Do not post "Thank you" type responses. If you have additional questions or require more help, try to find an existing thread or create your own. Do not use this as a general help thread, we have an entire q&a section for that.

If you have any suggestions for additional questions/answers please feel free to contact me, any potential additions and improvements are welcome.

​

You can find some detailed guides here:

[GUIDES][UNLOCK/ROOT/FLASH]How-To Guides For Beginners.

See also:

[INDEX] OnePlus One.

​

Q1: What is adb/fastboot?

Guide - What is adb and how do I use?

[Guide] How To Setup And Use Fastboot​

Q2: Does unlocking/rooting my phone void my warranty with OnePlus?

No.​

Q3: How do I unlock/root my phone?

Rooting this device is simple, all you need to do is unlock the bootloader, install a custom recovery, and from there you can install SuperSU to root your stock ROM, or you can install a pre-rooted custom ROM. Here is a guide that outlines the details:

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One​

Q4a: Can I flash ROMs or SuperSU or anything else with the stock recovery?

No, the stock recovery can only flash zips that are signed by CM, this means official updates only. You need a custom recovery to flash anything else.​

Q4b: Which custom recovery should I use?

We have a few options for recovery, you can use choose from the following:

[OFFICIAL][RECOVERY] Cannibal Open Touch

[RECOVERY]ClockWorkMod Recovery (CWM)

[Recovery]CWM-based Recovery for Oneplus

[bacon][CWM Advanced Edition] PhilZ Touch

[RECOVERY][bacon] TWRP Touch Recovery​

Q5: How do I flash my custom recovery?

Flashing a custom recovery is pretty easy using fastboot and you'll find full instructions in these threads:

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One​

Q6: Can I still receive and install an OTA on my rooted device?

Yes you can. But, if you have any modified system files or Xposed Framework installed the OTA will fail. You can use the built-in update feature in Settings>About Phone>Updates to update, or you can manually download an OTA and flash it. You can even flash an OTA update with your custom recovery. Here's a thread with all of the current CM11S full ROMs and OTA updates:

[ROM][OTA] Mirrors for official Cyanogen roms & OTA updates​

Q7: Do I need to relock my bootloader or have stock recovery to run Cyanogen OS again and have full OTA functionality?

No you don't need to relock your bootloader or have the stock recovery installed to run Cyanogen OS again with OTA functionality. All you need to do is flash the stock images via fastboot or flash a recovery flashable version of Cyanogen OS via your custom recovery and you'll be on the stock ROM again with OTA capability. See this thread:

[ROM][OTA] Mirrors for official Cyanogen roms & OTA updates​

Q8: How do I return my phone to being completely stock?

Just follow this tutorial:

[GUIDE] Return your OPO to 100% Stock​

Q9: How do I flash a boot.img via fastboot?

Flashing a boot.img is taken care of with fastboot, full instructions here:

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One​

Q10: Is my phone Bricked?

If you can boot into fastboot mode or recovery then the answer is No. If your phone will not boot at all, and/or shows up as a QHSUSB in Device Manager on your PC, then yes you're bricked. But, there's an effective unbrick tool here:

[GUIDE] [UNBRICK] Unbrick Oneplus One​

Q11: My PC won't connect to the phone by USB (for fastboot, adb, etc.), what do I do?

Make sure you have the correct/latest adb/fastboot drivers installed, make sure you have usb debugging enabled in Settings>Developer Options, and/or try another usb port/cable.​

Q12: How do I relock the bootloader, or return to stock (or close to stock as possible)

Connect your phone in fastboot mode and issue the following fastboot command:

fastboot oem lock

Q13: Will rooting affect my battery life?

No, simply rooting the phone should not hamper battery life. However, battery life can change dramatically from ROM to ROM.​

Q14: What is the best radio?

Reception and battery life are subject to exact geographic location, and other variables, therefore nobody can suggest a radio for you. Picking a radio is often trial-and-error, flash a radio and note the signal strength and battery performance. Not the bars in your status bar, but the actual signal strength measured by db (-110db is poor strength and -51db is good strength). This can be found in Settings/About Phone. Repeat the process until you've found the best radio for you. See the radio thread:

[REF] [RADIO] OnePlus One Modem Collection​

Q15: What is the best ROM?

There is no 'best' ROM, each user has different tastes and needs from a ROM, the best way to find out which ROM is best for you is to test them for yourself​

Q16: How can I find custom ROMs and kernels for my phone?

Just have a look through our development sections, but do not stray out of the OnePlus One section because flashing a ROM from a different device will brick your phone. There is a full OnePlus One index thread that lists all current ROMs, kernels, and everything else here:

[INDEX] OnePlus One​

Q17: How do I know which kernel is compatible with which ROM?

It's pretty simple, usually the OP in each kernel thread will state what Android versions it is compatible with. If not, there's usually a discussion taking place that answers the question.​

Q18: What is an md5 and why is it important?

An md5 is like a digital fingerprint of a file. The md5 should be listed on the download page for a file. Once you've downloaded a ROM/kernel/radio/mod etc you must check that the md5 of the downloaded file matches the md5 listed on the download page exactly. This ensures that the integrity of the file is intact and it hasn't become corrupted during the download. If a file has changed even slightly during a download the md5 will change dramatically. If the md5 of your downloaded file doesn't match, do not flash it, it could cause major problems on your device.​

Q19: Google Play Services (or Android OS) is killing my battery, how do I stop it?

See my detailed guide here:

[GUIDE][PSA] Google Play Services battery drain fix​

Q20: What do I need to do when changing from KitKat to Lollipop or vice-versa?

When going from KitKat to Lollipop you need to flash the Lollipop firmware and modem. When going back from Lollipop to KitKat you need to flash the KitKat firmware and modem.

See section 9 of my guide for full instructions:

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One​

Q21: I just flashed a ROM and now I can't turn the screen on with the power button, or I have a black screen during calls, what's going on !?

See question 20​

Q22: I've updated to CM12S and now I can't flash a custom recovery, why?

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. See section 2 of my guide for full instructions:

[GUIDE] Unlock/Root/Flash for OnePlus One​

'This FAQ is part of a Recognized Contributor Group Initiative. Please look for a similar FAQ thread when visiting another device forum.'​

Forum Rules | New Users Guide | XDA Tour | Report Posts​

Donate To Me

Transmitted via Bacon