How To Guide Root OnePlus 9

[zymphad]

This is for Europe (11.2.2.2.LE25DA). If you are on Global, EU version works, but up to you. It appears for last year, unless you are from India, OnePlus doesn't care. It might be a while before a Full OTA update for Global is released, you'll notice updates come without it for Global or on their Global support site, the firmware is outdated.
- On T-Mobile have full 5G. I don't know about AT&T and Verizon. Should be same.

If you are on Global and you just received your phone. Do all the updates from the incremental through device. If you want root, you can flash with the EU patched boot.img and everything will work as normal
**** but once you do this, you will need to wait for Global full OTA to update next time, unless you managed to have a backup copy of the unpatched boot.img

Do the usual to unlock your OnePlus 9: oem unlock, usb debugging from developer. Boot into bootloader and use adb command /fastboot flashing unlock

This will wipe your phone and reboot. Setup your phone

Install Magisk from his official github: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases/tag/v22.0
- Topjohn provides full instructions on how to do this yourself as well.

Reboot into bootloader

Flash boot the magisk modified boot.img. /fastboost flash boot boot.img

Go into Magisk app and install via direct install and all done.

Return to stock
- Restore boot.img from Magisk
- Uninstall Magisk
- Flash the stock boot.img
- Relock the bootloader, will wipe and return to factory reset.

Stock 11.2.33 Boot.img

boot11233_stock.img | by zymphad for OnePlus 9

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

www.androidfilehost.com

Magisk Patched 11.2.33 boot.img

boot11233_patched.img | by zymphad for OnePlus 9

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

www.androidfilehost.com

Spoiler: Previous Boot Images

Patched Boot.img for Europe (11.2.2.2.LE25DA)

boot93.img | by zymphad for OnePlus 9

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

www.androidfilehost.com

Stock Boot.img for Europe (11.2.2.2.LE25DA)

boot.img | by zymphad for OnePlus 9

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

www.androidfilehost.com

Future Full OTA Updates
- Update as usual
- Go into Magisk and choose direct install and then install to inactive slot after OTA
- This will retain root

How to do it yourself:

Download full OTA, usually Oxygen Updater App, XDA has links or from https://www.oneplus.com/support/softwareupgrade

Download Payload Dumper

payload_dumper-win64.zip | Tool by geminids14 for Utilities

Extract payload.bin in xiaomi weekly build zip for MI A1

androidfilehost.com

Extract and place payload.bin in input folder

Run the payload_dumper.exe

In the output folder will be boot.img, move that onto your phone, folder of your choice

Go to Magisk app, click install
Choose Select and Patch a File
Choose the file and it will patch it, Magisk will say where the file is located.
That is your patched boot.img file. Use that to flash / root your phone.

Remember only have do this once, you don't have to do this again with subsequent updates.

 

[Slikkster2k]

Do the usual to unlock your OnePlus 9: oem unlock, usb debugging from developer. Boot into bootloader and use adb command /fastboot flashing unlock

This will wipe your phone and reboot. Setup your phone

Install Magisk from his official github: https://github.com/topjohnwu/Magisk/releases/tag/v22.0

Reboot into bootloader

Flash boot the magisk modified boot.img. /fastboost flash boot boot.img

AndroidFileHost.com | Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

Download GApps, Roms, Kernels, Themes, Firmware, and more. Free file hosting for all Android developers.

www.androidfilehost.com

Go into Magisk app and install via direct install and all done.

What version/region of the OP9 is this boot.img for? Where did you get the original unmodified one? I need Canadian.

 

[zymphad]

What version/region of the OP9 is this boot.img for? Where did you get the original unmodified one? I need Canadian.

So there seems to be confusion about version. The boot image doesn't matter. When you flash a custom rom, there isn't a EU or US version. The only difference I can think of if it's T-Mobile, so when you flash, then it would just be an international/global. This is from XDA.

Honestly I would bet the Indian version is same as well.

This is the EU, which is the same boot.img for US unlocked.

If the future you should be able to do this yourself once OnePlus adds the 9 series to their global firmware downloads list.

 

[Slikkster2k]

Good to know, thanks! I'm not planning to flash a custom rom, I just want root. So I just have to make sure the bootloader is unlocked, and then follow the steps for Magisk.

 

[zymphad]

Yep, working great here. Mobile payments working fine. Using energized for adblock.

 

[Slikkster2k]

So I successfully rooted yesterday, all is working great. Today my phone prompts me that system update 11.2.1.1 is available. Of course, I cannot upgrade while rooted. However, I also can't restore my stock boot.img because I don't have a copy of it... Any way to update without doing a factory reset, or am I screwed?

Edit: From what I've found, factory reset doesn't touch the boot partition. So that won't help.

 

[reffu]

This method worked for me, though I'm now running the same issue as Slikkster2k, since I don't have an unpatched boot.img, I can't uninstall magisk to update via OTA.

I would suggest, for those wanting to be able to update in the future (until we get a custom recovery), that instead of /fastboot flash boot boot.img, use /fastboot boot boot.img and then let Magisk finish the install. When Magisk patches the boot image, it will take a backup of the stock one to be used for uninstallation.

 

[[email protected]]

So I successfully rooted yesterday, all is working great. Today my phone prompts me that system update 11.2.1.1 is available. Of course, I cannot upgrade while rooted. However, I also can't restore my stock boot.img because I don't have a copy of it... Any way to update without doing a factory reset, or am I screwed?

 

[[email protected]]

Install magisk module-a/b install-before you reboot, then select direct install to second slot and reboot. Works beautifully.

 

[Slikkster2k]

Install magisk module-a/b install-before you reboot, then select direct install to second slot and reboot. Works beautifully.

I can't install the OTA update at all -- I'm on global ROM, so it fails because it's attempting a partial OTA update, rather than flashing a full ROM.

 

[reffu]

@zymphad
Do you also have a copy of the unpatched boot.img file?

 

[zymphad]

I can't install the OTA update at all -- I'm on global ROM, so it fails because it's attempting a partial OTA update, rather than flashing a full ROM.

With rooted phone you need to do full not partial.

We are on the February security update. The latest update for OP9 is still on it, so disappointing.

We have to wait until the March security update that is already out for other oneplus devices.

You can unroot and re-lock your bootloader and then install the partial and then do the whole process again. I am not going to do that, seems waste of time.
Uninstall Magisk -- Flash stock boot.img -- lock bootloader.
This will wipe your phone back to factory reset!!!

But I expect we will see March update soon since Nord and 8 series have them already.

 

[reffu]

With rooted phone you need to do full not partial.

We are on the February security update. The latest update for OP9 is still on it, so disappointing.

We have to wait until the March security update that is already out for other oneplus devices.

You can unroot and re-lock your bootloader and then install the partial and then do the whole process again. I am not going to do that, seems waste of time.
Uninstall Magisk -- Flash stock boot.img -- lock bootloader.
This will wipe your phone back to factory reset!!!

But I expect we will see March update soon since Nord and 8 series have them already.

The issue is that even if we wanted to do this, Slikkster2k and I (and possibly others), don't have the stock boot.img, since we flashed the magisk patched boot.img directly. Since you provided the patched boot.img originally, do you have the unpatched version available?

That way if anyone still on the original version that came pre-loaded wants to flash back to fully stock (and maybe re-lock bootloader) they can.

 

[reffu]

Those of us on the Global/US variant (AA) don't have the full zip available, and since we can't flash incremental while rooted, we currently have no way of actually reverting to stock until OnePlus publishes the full ROM zip.

 

[zymphad]

Will post the stock.

I mean dunno why would want to since to do the incremental think have to relock bootloader which would factory reset.

And the to root again would factory reset again...

The March security update is already out for Nord and 8 series. Would just wait.

The incremental is still the Feb security update which you are already on.

 

[reffu]

Thanks, I mostly just wanted to redo the root process, but use /fastboot boot boot.img instead of /fastboot flash boot boot.img, so that magisk has a backup of the stock bootloader. That way, if for some reason I need to flash back to stock before the March Security update comes out, I can do so from my phone without needing my PC.

 

[Slikkster2k]

I mean dunno why would want to since to do the incremental think have to relock bootloader which would factory reset.

Ah, was not aware of that. In that case we'll just have to wait, hopefully OnePlus posts it soon.

Besides, the patched bootloader you posted is from 11.2.1.1 (I compared the hash to the one in the other thread), so I assume the stock image is the same. So it's no good to us anyways.

 

[reffu]

Besides, the patched bootloader you posted is from 11.2.1.1 (I compared the hash to the one in the other thread), so I assume the stock image is the same. So it's no good to us anyways.

Ahh, I didn't realize that, I guess it's just a good thing that the 11.2.1.1 boot.img doesn't cause any issues when flashed onto 11.2, since we would have had no way to undo it

 

[Slikkster2k]

Ahh, I didn't realize that, I guess it's just a good thing that the 11.2.1.1 boot.img doesn't cause any issues when flashed onto 11.2, since we would have had no way to undo it

Actually I tested it using fastboot boot boot.img before I flashed it, just to make sure it would work (I didn't know it was from 11.2.1.1 at the time, but I'm paranoid).

 

[zymphad]

Seems the rest of the world is getting the March update except US again. Still no full package, and this time not even partial. Dunno what is going on with OnePlus and US, but it's annoying.

Will update for EU AB firmware in the OP. And then put disclaimer for Global to do all their updates prior to rooting.