Install LineageOS Android 13 on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R

Sadique Hassan•Updated Apr 15, 2024

In this guide, we will show you the steps to install the latest LineageOS 20 ROM based on Android 13 onto your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R. These devices could well be the last ones to reserve the DNA of OnePlus because we all know what happened after that. But even then, there’s no escaping the bloated ColorOS ecosystem as you would have already welcomed it via OxygenOS 12 and then the finishing [literally!] touches were applied via OxygenOS 13.

But on a fortunate note, these devices are one of the most active players in custom development. And this gives us the perfect opportunity to escape from the clutches of the bloated ColorOS and bring home a clean and stock usage experience bereft of any unnecessary preinstalled apps and services. So without any further ado, let’s get started with the instructions to install the latest LineageOS 20 ROM based on Android 13 onto your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R.

UPDATE: LineageOS 21 based on Android 14 is now live for OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R. Refer to this guide for download and installation steps.

Table of Contents

What is LineageOS ROM?

One of the oldest players in this domain, you could trace back the lineage of this ROM back to the days of CyanogenMod. Right from its inception to this date, it has stuck with its USP of providing just the required bit of crucial apps and services, without incorporating any additional bloatware apps. So while you wouldn’t get a plethora of features baked into the ROM, you are guaranteed a fluid and smooth usage experience.

To further cement this statement, the ROM doesn’t even come with any preinstalled Google Apps, Services, and Framework [although you could easily install them later on using the GApps package]. With this, you would have got a decent idea regarding this ROM, let’s now get started with the instructions to install the LineageOS 20 ROM based on Android 13 onto your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R.

How to Install LineageOS Android 13 on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R

Before starting with the process, make sure to take a complete device backup beforehand. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below steps. NOTE: Your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T should be on the latest OxygenOS 13 Android 13 to install this LineageOS 20 ROM.

STEP 1: Install Android SDK

First and foremost, you will have to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.

STEP 2: Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking

Next up, you will have to enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your device. The former will make your device recognizable by the PC in ADB mode. This will then allow you to boot your device to Fastboot Mode. On the other hand, OEM Unlocking is required to carry out the bootloader unlocking.

So head over to Settings > About Phone > Tap on Build Number 7 times > Go back to Settings > System > Advanced > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking.

STEP 3: Unlock Bootloader

Next up, you will also have to unlock the device’s bootloader. Do keep in mind that doing so will wipe off all the data from your device and could nullify its warranty as well. So if that’s all well and good, then please refer to our detailed guide on How To Unlock Bootloader of OnePlus 8, 8 Pro, and 8T.

STEP 4: Download ROM, Recovery, GApps, Vbmeta, Dtbo

Now, get hold of all the required from below [GApps is optional]

OnePlus 8: LineageOS ROM | LineageOS Recovery | vbmeta | dtbo
OnePlus 8 Pro: LineageOS ROM | LineageOS Recovery | vbmeta | dtbo
OnePlus 8T: LineageOS ROM | LineageOS Recovery | vbmeta | dtbo
OnePlus 9R: LineageOS ROM | LineageOS Recovery | vbmeta | dtbo
GApps: Download Link

The ROM and GApps files will be present as a ZIP whereas the recovery, vbmeta, and dtbo will be IMG files.
Once you have downloaded all these files, transfer them to the platform tools folder on your PC.
Next up, rename the recovery file to recovery.img, vbmeta to vbmeta.img, dtbo to dtbo.img, ROM to rom.zip, and GApps to gapps.zip

STEP 5: Boot to Fastboot Mode

Connect your device to the PC via USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
After that, type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode
```
adb reboot bootloader
```
To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.
```
fastboot devices
```

STEP 6: Flash vbmeta and dtbo

First off, execute the below command to flash dtbo:
```
fastboot flash dtbo dtbo.img
```
Then type in the below command to flash the vbmeta:
```
fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
```

STEP 7: Flash LineageOS Recovery on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R

You will now have to flash the LineageOS recovery onto your device. So execute the below command for the same:
```
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
```
Once the flashing is complete, type in the below command to boot to LineageOS Recovery.
```
fastboot reboot recovery
```

STEP 8: Copy Content of Slot A to Slot B [only on OnePlus 8T and 9R]

[The below process should only be carried out on OnePlus 8T and 9R. On the other hand, OnePlus 8/Pro users should skip this step and move over to the next one.] In order to maintain consistency of the firmware versions between the two partitions on your device, we will now be copying all the contents of Slot A to Slot B.

Download copy-partitions-20220613-signed.zip and transfer it to the platform-tools folder on your PC.
Likewise, rename it to cp, so that the complete name becomes cp.zip.
Then on the LineageOS recovery, go to Apply Update > Apply from ADB.
After that, open CMD inside the platform-tools folder and execute the below command
```
adb sideload cp.zip
```
Once flashed, go to Advanced and select Reboot to Recovery. Your device will reboot to LineageOS Recovery.

STEP 9: Factory Reset Device

From the LineageOS Recovery, go to Factory Reset.
Then select Format Data/Factory Reset > Format Data.
Your device will now undergo a reset.
Once done, you shall get the “Data wipe complete” message.

STEP 9: Install LineageOS Android 13 ROM on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R

From the LineageOS Recovery, go to Apply Update > Apply from ADB.
Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter.
This will launch the Command Prompt. So type in the below command to flash the ROM file via Sideload:
```
adb sideload rom.zip
```
The process will now begin and once done, you shall get the Total xfer: 1.00x message [Got an error? See FAQ below].
If you want to install GApps, then move over to the next step otherwise select Reboot System Now to boot to the OS.

STEP 10: Install GApps on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R

Go to Advanced > Reboot to Recovery. Your device will reboot to LineageOS Recovery.
Once done, go to Apply Update > Apply from ADB.
Now type in the below command to flash the GApps file via Sideload:
```
adb sideload gapps.zip
```
You will get a Signature Verification failed message because the GApps package isn’t signed by LineageOS. That’s not an issue, just hit YES to proceed ahead.
Once done, you may now finally reboot your device to the OS via “Reboot system now”.

That’s it. These were the steps to install the LineageOS ROM based on Android 13 onto your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T/9R. If you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know your doubt and the device that you are using in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.