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How to install Official Android Pie 9.0 on OnePlus 3/3T

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T are finally receiving official Android 9.0 Pie update. This is the best stable Android version to date. It offers great speed improvement in addition to slightly improved battery life. Follow this guide to install the official Android 9.0 Pie firmware on OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T. This is not a custom ROM. The firmware that we are using in this guide is actually the official OnePlus 3/3T Android Pie 9.0 Firmware update.

Contents

Requirements for Android Pie 9.0 on OnePlus

Before continuing, make sure that complete the following requirements. Some of these are precautionary measures while others are necessary.

The bootloader must be locked. (Don’t know how to check, read next heading of this post)
Charge your phone above 50%.
Make a backup of all data.
This update works for both the 181206 stable builds and 180712 Open Beta build for OnePlus 3 or OnePlus 3T.
Check the build number in Settings > About Phone.
Flashing Android Pie Update on OnePlus 3/3T with the open beta build will wipe all data. Making a backup is mandatory.

How to check Bootloader status on OnePlus 3/3T

Since OP3 and OP3T are some of the most powerful user-friendly devices, therefore, a lot of users may unlock the bootloader to install custom recoveries and ROMs. Moreover, this is useful for installing custom zips, apps, and features. However, for the sake of this update, you need to make sure that the bootloader is locked. Here is how to check is bootloader is locked or not.

Turn off the phone.
Press and hold Volume Up + Power keys until phone vibrates and Fastboot logo shows up.
On this screen, the last line shows phone status as “locked” or “unlocked”. This status should be “locked”.
Now press the volume key until you see the Turn Off option at the top.
Press the power button to turn off the phone.
Now turn it by just holding the power button.

How to re-lock the OnePlus 3/3T Bootloader

If you’re one of those people who have unlocked the bootloader to root the device with a custom recovery, then follow the steps below to re-lock it.

Install ADB tools on your PC.
Download and install Android SDK from HERE. Click on “Download Options”, scroll down to “Command Line Tools” and download Windows SDK tools from there. Mac and Linux users should download their own version.
Next up, download ADB tools from HERE and extract in any drive (C, D, E).
Enable USB Debugging on your phone. To get developer options, go to Settings > About Phone and tap on Build number 7 times. Next up, go to Settings > System > Developer Options and enable USB Debugging. Allow USB Debugging permission from the phone as well.
Also, make sure that your phone is on stock recovery. Flash the stock recovery image for your phone. It is available in OnePlus forums.
Now connect the phone to the PC via USB Cable.
Open Command Prompt.
Type cd <Drive Letter>:/extracted folder title. (For example cd C:/Android).
Now type “ADB reboot bootloader” and press Enter.
When the phone reboots into bootloader mode, type “fastboot OEM lock” and press Enter.
The bootloader will now be locked. Just reboot the phone now.

Downloads

OnePlus 3 Android Pie 9.0 Firmware Update zip – HERE
OnePlus 3T Android Pie 9.0 Firmware Update zip – HERE

Guide to install Android Pie 9.0 Firmware on OnePlus 3/3T

Before continuing, once again make sure that the bootloader is locked. Moreover, make a backup of any data on phone. The update process may wipe all of the data.

Steps to install Android Pie 9.0 update zip on OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.

Copy downloaded update zip to root of internal storage.
Either download the update zip from link provided above directly to phone or PC. Then put the file in root of your device’s storage. It means that the file should not be inside any folder.
Open Settings > System > System Update > Local Update.
Access the Local update from settings using path above. The System Update option may be available right in main menu. Also access Local Update by tapping on settings button on top right of System Update screen.
Choose the downloaded update zip from here.
If you have properly put downloaded update zip in local storage’s root, then it will appear here.
Tap on it and wait for the update to complete.
The phone will update automatically. And reboot afterwards.
Alternatively, enter Recovery Mode.
This is a conventional method to install update zips on Android.
To do so, turn off phone. Press and hold Volume Up and Power buttons together until Fastboot screen shows up.
Use the specified button combination to enter Bootloader / fastboot mode of your phone.
Use the volume button to navigate until header shows Recovery Mode. Press power button to enter recovery mode.
The touchscreen does not work here.
Here, use volume button to scroll down and select “Install Update from internal storage”.
This option accesses the update file you put in internal storage root in step 1.
Select the downloaded zip and select Yes option afterwards.
Use the power button to select update zip file.
Wait till the phone installs update and reboots itself. That’s it! You’ve done it.
The first reboot will take a bit longer than usual since cache is building up.

What’s new in OnePlus 3/3T Android Pie Update (Changelog)

According to official forums, below is the changelog for the latest update.

System
- Updated system to Android™ 9 Pie™
- Brand new UI for Android Pie
- Updated Android security patch to 2019.4

Do Not Disturb mode
- New Do Not Disturb mode with adjustable settings

New Gaming mode 3.0
- Added text notification mode
- Added notification for 3rd party calls
Phone
- Deep integration with Google Duo
Camera
- Integrated Google Lens mode

Conclusion

Android Pie is one of the best versions of this OS. The biggest winner in this OS is the adaptive battery optimizer. This works with integrated AI to maximize battery life. If someone uses YouTube lets say for a long time, it will basically cut power for other apps so that phone runs longer. Similarly, it optimizes battery life in sleep mode.

The improvement to UI is not as significant since the overall tone is pretty similar to before. However, the phone should feel faster and more responsive.

OnePlus Official Forum

Feel free to leave your feedback and queries in the comments section below.

This post was last modified on October 10, 2020 2:00 pm

Usama M

Usama is a software engineer by profession and at TechBeasts.com he uses his expertise to solve everyday consumer tech problems with his main areas of interest being Android, iOS and Windows.