Boris Belousov

Research Blog

Recover hard bricked OnePlus One

12 Apr 2016
This instruction applies to hard bricked phones, that do not even enter fastboot mode (hold `Power + Volume Up`). A soft bricked phone should be recovered through recovery menu (hold `Power + Volume Down`) instead.

In case you damaged the bootloader—e.g. while installing CyanogenMod or flashing a new version of Android—this instruction will help you get your phone back to the factory state even if it does not respond to any input anymore (not even adb or fastboot via USB).

Restore CM11s

You will need a Windows PC (if you find a solution for OS X, let me know).

  1. Download the OnePlus Recovery Tool to restore the stock version of CyanogenMod (CM11s) and follow the instructions there.
  2. If you encounter a problem with drivers (e.g. your phone is not recognized), which is common with Windows 7–10, learn how to properly install drivers in the Unbrick OnePlus One guide. You might also need to temporarily stop windows automatically installing drivers.
  3. In case you encounter other problems, consult the Hard bricked thread.

Update to the latest version of CyanogenMod

If the phone does not automatically update to the latest version of Android, you may want to install the latest update manually.

  1. Download and install Android SDK to get adb and fastboot.
  2. Follow the guide How to install CyanogenMod on the OnePlus One.