[ZTE Axon 10 Pro ROMs, Kernels, Recoveries, & Other] bobthenormal:
Another one EDL stuck...

If anyone can give some advice - I am not a novice to unlock/rooting phones but this chain of events seems to have really screwed something up:

- Setup phone for unlock (phone came on Android 9. I think firmware 1.10)

- Used this tool to do an ALL backup and an extra run of the backup on stock modem and stock boot because I remember what a pain it can be if you lose the modem especially.

- Performed unlock - worked just fine

- Performed another ALL backup (yep..)

- Used fastboot to install TWRP

- Used TWRP to install Magisk

- Setup the phone how I liked, still stock ROM but unlock/rooted

- Did ANOTHER EDL ALL backup using the tool

Up to this point everything worked great. I did lots of rebooting to get the phone setup how I like. Then I wanted to test my backup...

- Rebooted into EDL / this tool

- Tried to restore my first stock ALL backup - the tool claimed it couldn't find it... which had me running in circles for a while moving files around trying different versions of my backup until I found the post somewhere that Unjustified said the all restore doesn't work

- Copied my first stock backup ALL files into the FULL folder and restored them (completed successfully)

- Ran restore on the modem / boot files just for good measure (completed successfully)

Went to reboot the phone... and nothing happens at all. AFAIK EDL mode on this phone has no indication the phone is even on, but when I plug it back into the computer the tool seems to be able to interact with it still. No amount of power button turns it off... so I'm completely locked into the EDL I guess.

Any suggestions on next steps to unbrick with minimal issues I'd greatly appreciate .. I have tons of EDL backups, clearly! lol

I'm also just curious on a technical level how the power button would ever not be allowed to reset the phone... not necessary to fix it, but if anyone can guess/explain what is going on in the phone that could get it stuck in EDL, might help me troubleshoot myself in the future!

EDIT to add: I'm leaving the phone unplugged right now, thinking maybe if the battery dies it'll force a reset that might get me somewhere.

I'll add some things I've gathered from scouring the forums for anyone having this issue, in case anyone else wants to save themselves the time:

There are people who have run into various problems, from the usual bootloops via improper flashing or forgetting to flip the unlock, etc. There are some threads spread about with what I assume is the same EDL stuck issue I'm having. In those threads it seems like a lot of people got desperate enough to start flashing any firmware they could find and found that an A2020G firmware that the non-US ZTE lets you download (wouldn't it be nice if the USA ZTE guys would just post an android 9 firmware!! grr.) worked to get them out of the EDL stick. At the cost of putting them onto the European firmware. Some claim to have gotten around the limitations there, but no one I could find posted saying they really got back 100% to stock A2020U.

If draining the battery doesn't work out for me, the next step is I'll try to figure out someone else's EDL backup, then try flashing a firmware. Failing those.. maybe I'll try to the A2020G firmware, or maybe just give up and go to the android 10 firmware ZTE USA has.

I downloaded the B12 EDL backup from [MENTION=873466]karlnorth[/MENTION] here (https://xdaforums.com/axon-10-pro/help/to-model-firmware-a2020gprov1-6fulledl-t4111129/page2) and the B11 firmware that Unjustified posted somewhere along the way. I have not used the MiFlash tool with this phone before (used it with a MiA1 though) and based on what I read it sounds like it's not as simple as just running it - Unjustified mentions somewhere that he couldn't get it to work except with a Win7 machine and an old version of MiFlash... D= I do not have access to a Win7 machine these days.

Anyway, hopefully that might help anyone who runs into the EDL lock in the future save some time doing the research.