In this tutorial, we will show you how to unbrick your OnePlus Nord using EDL Firmware with the MSM Download Tool. The latest offering from OnePlus was already among the most anticipated devices even before its launch. Once got released to the masses, it seems the hype was all the more justified. Belonging to the budget segment, it holds a pretty impressive specs sheet. To begin with, the 6.44-inch device has a 1080 x 2400 pixel resolution and a 90z refresh rate.
Under the hood, you get an octa-core Qualcomm SDM765 Snapdragon 765G chipset with Adreno 620 GPU. It comes in three different variants, with the highest one offering a 256GB 12GB RAM combination. Then there is a 48+8+5+2MP quad rear camera setup and a dual 32+8MP front-facing camera. To support all these features, you get a 4115 mAh battery that has a 30W fast charging support as well. While all these are definitely quite impressive in their own rights, but this is just the beginning.
Once you step into the custom development, you could try out a plethora of tweaks as well. But these customizations also have a risk factor involved, the most dangerous of which is when your device gets bricked. However, if that ever happens to your Nord handset, then there is nothing to fret about. With the help of this guide, you could easily unbrick your OnePlus Nord using EDL Firmware via the MSM Download Tool. Follow along for the complete instructions.
While it has only been a few weeks since the device launch, but there are already quite a few custom binaries available for this device. For example, you could easily install TWRP Recovery and root it. Apart from that, a few custom ROMs have also made their way for this device, including the LineageOS 17.1 and Pixel Experience. No doubt all these tweaks offer a plethora of new features and allows you to carry out tons of customizations onto your Nord device.
But that isn’t the complete picture. All these tweaks are quite risky in nature and might generally lead to a soft-brick or bootloop. However, in those cases, the fastboot mode is still accessible and you could easily bring back your device without much fuss. The major issue arises when your device gets bricked (or rather hard-bricked). As and when that happens, you wouldn’t be able to make use of the Fastboot mode.
However, every Qualcomm device comes with an Emergency Download Mode and OnePlus Nord is no different. Making use of this EDL mode, you could easily flash the stock firmware via the MSM Tool and bring back your device from a dead state. In this guide, we will show you how to achieve just that. Here are all the required instructions on unbrick your OnePlus Nord using EDL Firmware via the MSM Download Tool.
Prerequisites
That’s all the requirements. You could now head over to the Downloads section and grab hold of the necessary files before proceeding with the steps to unbrick your OnePlus Nord. On that note, don’t forget to check out our comprehensive guide on How to Unbrick or Restore Back to Stock ROM on all OnePlus using this Tool.
Downloads
Download the OnePlus Nord firmware corresponding to your region. There are three different firmware shared below: for the Indian, Global and Europe variant. If you wish to cross-flash (say, from Europe to Indian build), then please take the backup of /persist partition beforehand. For that the below command will come in handy (make sure your device is rooted):
dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist of=/sdcard/persist.img
On the other hand, if you are simply downloading the firmware corresponding to your region, then you don’t require the above command. With that said, you may now download OnePlus Nord stock firmware from below. We would like to thank XDA OG Some_Random_Username for these files
Global (AC01AA)
Europe (AC01BA)
India (AC01DA)
Now that you have downloaded the firmware, proceed with the below steps to unbrick your OnePlus Nord using EDL Firmware with the MSM Download Tool.
Steps to Unbrick OnePlus Nord
- Launch the MSM Download Tool on your PC (double click on the MsmDownloadTool V4.0.exe file for that).
- You should now see a Login prompt. Under the User Type section, select Others and click on Next.
- Now click on the Target button. From the drop-down menu that appears, select O2 while using the Global tool, India while using the Indian tool or EU when using the European tool.
- Then click on the Start button. This should be situated at the top left of the tool. By doing so, we have successfully set up the tool.
- Now power off your device and leave it in that state for a minute or so.
- Its time to boot your OnePlus Nord to the Qualcomm EDL Mode. For that, press and hold the Volume Up and Volume Down keys for about 40 seconds.
- Once your device gets booted to EDL mode, connect it to PC via the official USB cable (recommended). You may then leave the both the Volume keys.
- Wait for around 300-400 seconds and let the tool do its job. After this, your device will then boot to the Android OS.
That’s it. These were the steps to unbrick your OnePlus Nord using EDL Firmware with the MSM Download Tool. If you are facing any issues, then here are a couple of points to keep in mind. Once you have connected your device to PC via USB cable in EDL mode, head over to the Device Manager on your PC. For that, right-click on the Start Menu and select the said option. Then expand the Ports option and make sure that the device is been recognized as Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008.
However, if it seen being shown as under the Other Devices, then the Qualcomm USB Drivers aren’t installed correctly. You may have to reinstall them. Apart from that, if you have any other issues, do let us know in the comments section below. Rounding off, here are some iPhone Tips and Tricks, PC tips and tricks, and Android Tips and Trick that you should check out as well.
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