[OnePlus 8 Guides, News, & Discussion] Mason220:
Disclaimer​

While I will assist with any issues resulting from this guide,

I disclaim all responsibility and cannot be held accountable for any consequences caused by the use or misuse of this tool or process.

This method also

will wipe your phone

, so please back up your data. I also will disclaim any understanding as to why

exactly

this works, since this method was developed by someone else, I am just listing the instructions on how to use it. With that being said,

understand your personal limits and read this entire guide before starting

.

Preface​

I have seen dozens of posts asking for a Bootloader unlocking method for the OnePlus 8 5G UW (IN2019) and thanks to the attributed users at the end of this post, a method has been found. I will document the most straightforward way to unlock the bootloader here so you can install custom OSes, TWRP, and Magisk.

Part I: Prerequisites and initial setup​

To follow this guide you will need

A Windows PC (running 7+)

Latest MsmDownloadTool and stock firmware for the OnePlus IN2019 - Link

OnePlus 8 IN2019 with latest stock software update and USB cable

Latest version of platform-tools - Link

The bootloader unlock.ops file - Link

Plug your phone into your PC using a

USB 2.0 port

(this is important, USB 3.0 has given me a lot of issues and just doesn’t seem to work all the time) and ensure USB debugging is enabled.

Extract the downloaded platform-tools zip and open the platform-tools folder in a command prompt, and Run adb devices and makes sure your device appears in the list.

Next, extract the OnePlus_8_Verizon_OxygenOS_11.0.zip and open up the MsmDownloadTool V4.0.exe inside the instantnoodlev_15_O.01_210110 folder.

When the application opens, select “Others” under the User type dropdown and hit next. Leave this window and the platform-tools command prompt open.

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Part II: Entering Qualcomm EDL mode and installing correct QDLoader Driver​

In this section we will install the correct drivers to utilize Qualcomm's Emergency Download (EDL) mode. When you are in EDL mode, your phone screen will be completely black and it will only exit if you complete a flash or unplug it from your PC and hold volume up, volume down and power. To enter EDL mode from a powered off state, hold volume up and volume down and connect your phone to your PC.​

1. Return to the platform-tools command prompt, and type adb reboot edl and wait. Your phone should disconnect from the computer and then reconnect.

2. Open Device manager, and check for the device “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008” or “QUSB_BULK_CID:xxxx_SN:xxxxxxxx” - if you see “Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008” under Ports (COM and LPT), skip to part III. If you see “QUSB_BULK_CID:xxxx_SN:xxxxxxxx” under Other Devices with a yellow triangle, then proceed to step 3.

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3.

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This should install the correct driver, replacing “QUSB_BULK_CID:xxxx_SN:xxxxxxxx” with "Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008" in device manager.

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Part III: Flash Stock Firmware​

In this section, we will flash the stock IN2019 Android 11 firmware. If you have any trouble with this process refer to the original guide on how to do this here.​

1. Return to MsmDownloaderTool and hit the Enum button. In the list, it should list the COM Port associated with the device. The status of connection should read “Connected”

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2. Click the “Start” button. This will flash the stock firmware, wiping your data.

Make sure you have backed your data up at this point

. It will take a few minutes, usually ~300 seconds. Once it completes, it will reboot into factory default android.

3. Close MsmDownloadertool and once you are back to android, unplug your phone and power it off.

Part IV: Unlock the bootloader​

In this section, we will flash the unlockable firmware and unlock the device for good.​

1. Inside the directory with MsmDownloaderTool V4.0.exe, there should be a file called “instantnoodlev_15_O.01_210110.ops”. Remove it from the directory, either by deleting it or moving it to another folder. Then take the unlock.ops file downloaded earlier, and drag it into the directory. It should be in the same folder as MsmDownloaderTool.

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2. Reopen MsmDownloaderTool V4.0.exe and like before, select “Others” in the drop down, and click next. Leave the window open.

3. Hold in the Volume up and down buttons, then plug your phone back in. Keep holding the buttons until your phone connects to your PC as "Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008", like before. Check device manager to ensure that it’s connected correctly as a COM port. If it boots to android, power it off and try again.

4. Return to MsmDownloaderTool and click Enum. Make sure the phone is still displayed in the list under the associated COM Port.

5. Click start. The flashing should take about 15 seconds, and when complete, your phone should restart. It will display a message at boot saying “<!> The device is corrupt..” Do not panic, this is normal.

6. Unplug your phone and hold Volume Up, Volume Down and Power until the device reboots and let go once it shows the OnePlus Logo and “Fastboot Mode”. You should arrive at a screen that has “Start” in big green letters at the top, and “Fastboot mode” below it, with the very last item saying “Device state - Locked” in red text.

7. Plug your phone back into your computer, and open device manager. Look for the “Kedacom USB Device” category with “Android Bootloader Interface” under it. If this device is present, skip to step 9. If this device is not, proceed to step 8.

8. Go back to Windows Update, Check for updates again, go into Optional Updates and install “Google, Inc. - Other hardware - Android Bootloader Interface”

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Check device manager to ensure “Android Bootloader Interface” is present under Kedacom USB Device.

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9. Return to your command prompt window open in platform-tools, and run fastboot devices and ensure your device is in the list.

10. Finally, run the command fastboot flashing unlock and on your phone, it should prompt you to confirm unlocking the bootloader. Once complete, it should reboot into Android.

11. Shut the phone off again, and then Hold Volume Up, Volume Down, and Power and let go when the OnePlus logo and “Fastboot mode” shows up on screen. If the final item in the list says “Device State - Unlocked”, Congrats! You have successfully unlocked your bootloader. You can follow your custom OS’s installation guide from here.

Part V: Troubleshooting, Notes, and Attributions​

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Any attempt to use MsmDownloadTool after the unlock will cause the device

to become locked again. You can unlock again by repeating the steps above.

Attempting the unlock process while running android 10 will result in a

crash at bootup. Update your phone to the latest update before starting.

USB 3.0 has thrown some obtuse errors when trying to use this process, so I highly recommend using a USB 2.0 port if possible.

If you want to flash back to stock firmware again (relock bootloader), you have to first flash this file (stock.ops) and then flash the bundled stock firmware. It will give a mismatch error if you do not.

You can only have one .ops file in the MsmDownloadTool directory at a time. You'll get an error if there are multiple files.

If for some reason, you run into an issue or skip a step by accident, leave a comment and I will try to help as much as possible. This is my first XDA guide and I just wanted to compile something that would have saved me hours of trial and error.

Attributions:​

@Whoareyou for providing the method and unlock.ops to me originally. He pretty much got the ball rolling for me.

@retryfail / https://retry.abort.fail for creating the unlock.ops and providing the original guide, this would absolutely not be possible without his work.

@Some_Random_Username for the MsmDownloadTool tutorial and resources.

https://onepluscommunityserver.com (hosted by Votton, maintained by @Some_Random_Username and AnonymousWP) for providing the stock firmware and MsmDownloadTool