All the OnePlus Two handsets ship with a locked bootloader that does not let you flash custom files until you unlock it. And fortunately, you do have an official way to unlock the bootloader on your OnePlus Two.

Unlocking the bootloader is the first step towards customizing your device. Anything that you wish to install on your phone requires you to have an unlocked bootloader, because custom developments can only creep in to your phone when the bootloader allows them to.

OnePlus 2

So, here’s how you can go about unlocking the bootloader on your OnePlus Two:

Files You Need

  1. As with every bootloader unlocking tutorial, this should also erase all the data stored on your phone. So, please backup everything on your device that is important for you as it will be gone forever.
  2. This tutorial requires you to have a computer that runs Windows. It can be anything – XP, 7, or even Windows 8.
  3. Ensure that you have installed ADB drivers on your computer. If you haven’t done so yet, do so now or this tutorial won’t work.
  4. This should unlock the bootloader on your phone, which will then allow you to flash a custom recovery on your phone.
  5. Download ADB to your computer. These are the files that will help you issue commands to your phone to unlock the bootloader.

Unlocking the Bootloader on the OnePlus Two

  1. Right-click on ADB and select Extract here to unzip the zipped ADB files. It will make the files available for you to use.
  2. On your phone, open Settings followed by About phone. Tap on Build number for 8 times and it will say you are a developer. When it does, the developer menu should be unlocked on your phone.
  3. Head back to Settings and select Developer options. Once in there, turn on the option that says USB debugging. Without this the steps below won’t work.
  4. Connect your OnePlus Two to your computer using a USB cable.
  5. Open the folder where ADB files are extracted. When in there, hold down Shift on your computer’s keyboard and right-click on any blank space on your screen and select Open command window here. What it will do is launch a command prompt window with the current directory being the current working directory in the window.
  6. When the CMD window launches, type in the following command and hit Enter:
    adb reboot bootloader
  7. It will reboot your phone into bootloader mode. Your phone has to be in bootloader mode for its bootloader to be unlocked.
  8. When your phone enters bootloader mode, issue the following command:
    fastboot devices
  9. You should see your device listed in there. If you don’t, you probably don’t have the correct drivers installed on your computer. But if you do, you are good to go ahead.
  10. Type in the following command into the CMD window and hit Enter:
    fastboot oem unlock
  11. The above command should unlock the bootloader on your phone. Wait for it to do its magic, and your phone should auto-complete the task itself.
  12. When the bootloader is unlocked on your phone, reboot your phone for the changes to take effect.
  13. You are done!

The bootloader on your OnePlus Two has been successfully unlocked, and you are all ready to flash a custom recovery on your phone.

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