Install PixelExperience on enchilada

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Basic requirements

  1. Read through the instructions at least once before actually following them, so as to avoid any problems due to any missed steps!
  2. Make sure your computer has adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.
  3. Enable USB debugging on your device.
  4. Boot your device with the stock OS at least once and check every functionality. Make sure that you can send and receive SMS and place and receive calls (also via WiFi and LTE, if available), otherwise it won’t work on PixelExperience either! Additionally, some devices require that VoLTE/VoWiFi be utilized once on stock to provision IMS.
  5. PixelExperience is provided as-is with no warranty. While we attempt to verify everything works you are installing this at your own risk!

Before Installing Rom

Flash OOS / H2OS 11 if necessary

You can download them from here:

HydrogenOS:

HydrogenOS for OnePlus 6

OxygenOS:

OxygenOS for OnePlus 6

You can update your system through updater in the Settings App as well

Unlocking the bootloader

  1. Enable OEM unlock in the Developer options under device Settings, if present.

  2. Connect the device to your PC via USB.
  3. On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
    adb reboot bootloader
    

    You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:

    • With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power.
  4. Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
    fastboot devices
    

    If you don’t get any output or an error:

    • on Windows: make sure the device appears in the device manager without a triangle. Try other drivers until the command above works!
    • on Linux or macOS: If you see no permissions fastboot try running fastboot as root. When the output is empty, check your USB cable and port!
  5. Now type the following command to unlock the bootloader:
    fastboot oem unlock
    
  6. If the device doesn’t automatically reboot, reboot it. It should now be unlocked.
  7. Since the device resets completely, you will need to re-enable USB debugging to continue.

Before Flashing Rom

Ensuring all firmware partitions are consistent

In some cases, the inactive slot can be unpopulated or contain much older firmware than the active slot, leading to various issues including a potential hard-brick. We can ensure none of that will happen by copying the contents of the active slot to the inactive slot.

To do this, sideload the copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip package by doing the following:

  1. Download the copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip file from here.
  2. Sideload the copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip package:
    • On the device, select “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” to begin sideload.
    • On the host machine, sideload the package using: adb sideload copy-partitions-20210323_1922.zip
  3. Now reboot to recovery by tapping “Advanced”, then “Reboot to recovery”.

Initializing Dynamic partitions

You can acquire more information about dynamic partitions here

  1. Download this super_empty.img file.
  2. Power off the device, and boot it into bootloader mode
  3. Flash vbmeta from here:
    fastboot flash vbmeta_a vbmeta.img
    fastboot flash vbmeta_b vbmeta.img
    
  4. Flash PixelExperience Recovery:
    fastboot flash boot <recovery_filename>.img
    
  5. Erase the old android partitions with the following:
    fastboot erase system_a
    fastboot erase system_b
    fastboot erase odm_a
    fastboot erase odm_b
    fastboot erase vendor_a
    fastboot erase vendor_b
    
  6. Now reboot into recovery and enter fastbootd mode

  7. Initialize the retrofit super partitions for each slot:
    fastboot wipe-super super_empty.img
    fastboot set_active other
    fastboot wipe-super super_empty.img
    fastboot set_active other
    
  8. Choose Enter recovery to return to recovery

Installing PixelExperience from recovery

  1. Download the PixelExperience installation package that you would like to install or build the package yourself.
  2. If you are not in recovery, reboot into recovery:
    • With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power.
  3. Now tap Factory Reset, then Format data / factory reset and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption and delete all files stored in the internal storage, as well as format your cache partition (if you have one).
  4. Return to the main menu.
  5. Sideload the PixelExperience .zip package:
    • On the device, select “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” to begin sideload.
    • On the host machine, sideload the package using: adb sideload filename.zip.
  6. Once you have installed everything successfully, click the back arrow in the top left of the screen, then “Reboot system now”.

Get assistance

After you’ve double checked that you followed the steps precisely, didn’t skip any and still have questions or got stuck, feel free to ask on our Telegram group.