Unlocking the bootloader on the T-Mobile OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren breaks your ability to install updates (Update: Potential fix)


Owners of the T-Mobile-exclusive OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren interested in bootloader unlocking the device for root or ROM purposes should think twice before they do. Based on recent reports, that process can prevent the phone from being able to download future official updates, including one that was just released.
As well documented in this blog post, the issue stems from the fact that unlocking the device's bootloader (which requires a carrier unlock) triggers a full wipe of the userdata partition, deleting an essential file stored there and which is needed for updates to be installed. This may be part of the "master reset with hardware keys" process documented here (more commonly known as a "factory reset" via recovery). I should note that manually performing the maneuver described there in recovery outside of the bootloader unlocking process doesn't appear to break things in testing, though wiping via fastboot does.
Both unlocking the boorloader and wiping the phone via fastboot wipes the userdata partition, removing a symlinked image file containing a few OnePlus apps stored in that partition. This file by itself isn't necessary for the phone to work, but it is unfortunately required for updates to be correctly installed. In essence, the phone freaks out when applying so-called "delta" incremental updates if it thinks it has been tampered with. Removing that file convinces the phone that that has happened, breaking the ability to install these delta updates.
Since unlocking the bootloader triggers a wipe of the userdata partition as a security measure, that means unlocking the bootloader will prevent the phone from correctly downloading and installing updates.
An update failing due to the process described. Image: OnePlus Forums. 
By itself, this wouldn't be an issue for the root and ROM crowd, who are often used to inconvenient workarounds for software limitations, except for the fact that the missing file isn't publicly available and full images to restore a fully working system — usually the last-ditch effort for fixing a serious problem like this — aren't available. If you unlock the bootloader of your OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren right now, or perform a "master reset" via recovery, you lose the ability to install updates, at least for the meantime.
We've reached out to both OnePlus and T-Mobile for more information, as well as details regarding how each plans to fix the problem and when, but a response wasn't immediately forthcoming. Some of those affected by this problem have been able to successfully securer device replacements from T-Mobile.
In the meantime, I urge device owners not to attempt a bootloader unlock or wipe their devices via recovery. We hope, at least, that the in-software "master reset"/factory reset doesn't cause the same issue, though I assume reports would be more widespread if it did.
Developers may have made a fix
Although neither T-Mobile nor OnePlus has addressed this problem, which prevents bootloader-unlocked OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLarens from installing updates, developers have come up with a homebrew fix: They have successfully extracted the required image from the userdata partition, allowing those with an unlocked bootloader to restore it once it has been removed by the unlocking process, and downloads for the image (as well as an incremental update for those stuck on an earlier OS version) are now available.
While this should fix the problem, it can't really be tested until a new OTA update starts to roll out, which might take a while. But based on the facts known so far, it should present a possible (if obnoxious) solution, even if a direct fix from OnePlus/T-Mobile would be better.
For a bit of entertainment, you can read up on the full, dramatized process developers went though trying to find this fix here, and our original coverage of this story is just below.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Linktree’s free workaround lets you add multiple links to your Instagram bio

Image
Instagram only gives you one opportunity to link to outside resources inside its photo sharing platform. This might not be a problem for a majority of the users, but for those wanting a little more customization and even more options, it leaves much to be desired. Enter  Linktree , a free tool for Instagram designed to improve traffic to your outside link, be it a blog, portfolio, or store. How it works is fairly straightforward. After connecting Linktree to your Instagram profile, you’ll receive a single link to place in your Instagram bio. Once that link in place, you can customize what it’s linked to within your browser, be it a single website, or a collection of sites you’re looking to direct followers to Say you’re a photographer who’s using Instagram as a marketing tool for your wedding photography. Using Linktree, you can direct Instagram followers to your blog, your portfolio site, and even your other social media accounts. Until now, you would’ve been stuck choosing b
Read more

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE PIXEL 4, THE MOST-LEAKED PHONE EVER

Image
Google’s  Pixel 3 might have been the  most-leaked phone in history . Long before its unveiling, we knew practically everything about it from unboxing videos, photo comparisons, even a full review of the device. Surely, for the Pixel 4, Google would clamp down on leaks to leave some surprises for its debut on  October 15th , right? Let’s just say, if that was the plan, it didn’t exactly work out. We’ve now seen the Pixel 4 XL from every angle and in three different colors. At least seven different sources have touched this phone, many of them confirming the same specs. We not only know which cameras it’ll have, but also what they may be capable of, including air gestures (go figure). That doesn’t even count information Google has already shared  on purpose. So if you want to know almost everything about the Pixel 4 nearly a month before it’s announced, buckle up. We’ve sifted through all of the rumors and information we can find to compile everything we know — and everything we
Read more

Our favorite iOS apps for the iPhone and iPad in 2018

Image
As 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to look at some our favorite apps of the year. While not all of these are brand new, many of them popped up onto our radar for the first time in 2018, and are definitely worth the attention. Others are some of our favorites that are still best-in-class despite having been around for some time now. We aim to do things differently at TNW, and as such you’re not going to find the recommendations you’re probably used to seeing: Gmail, Skype, Dropbox, and the like. Instead, we want to focus on the best-of-the-best that you may not have heard of, and others that are just special enough to warrant a mention. As always, we’d encourage you to share some of your favorites in the comments below, or on Facebook. Enlight Pixaloop (Free Pixaloop  is one of my favorite apps on the market. Unlike typical image editors that allow you to remove red eye or apply a filter, Pixaloop allows you to create stunning photo animations with a few clicks on your
Read more