OnePlus adds anti-rollback that could brick your phone

OnePlus has implemented new anti-rollback methods in OxygenOS, forcing users to stay on the latest software versions with no way to go back.

With the release of ColorOS 16.0.3.501 and newer versions (including .503), OnePlus has implemented a hardware-level anti-rollback mechanism, as spotted by developers on the XDA forums.

For the average user, this won’t have any immediate impact. Rather, the biggest problem is for those using custom ROMs. Anything older than ColorOS 16.0.3.501/.503 trips a “fuse” where the device will not only be bricked upon installation of the older software, but third-party tools that have been developed to help in cases of a bricked device will apparently not work.

1. NO DOWNGRADING: You can NEVER flash an older ROM again.
   • If you attempt to flash any previous version of ColorOS, OxygenOS, or custom ROMs released before this date, your device will HARD BRICK.
2. Custom ROM Danger:
   • Flashing ANY custom ROM developed prior to this update on top of ColorOS 16.0.3.501 (or newer) will result in an immediate HARD BRICK.
   • CRITICAL – NO RESCUE: You CANNOT unbrick the device yourself. Previously developed unauthorized 9008 tools and Chimera firehose programmers will FAIL because the fuse has been blown. Your existing unbrick methods are now useless.

This currently applies to the OnePlus 13, OnePlus 13T, and OnePlus 15. Older devices such as the OnePlus 12 have yet to implement similar measures, but it’s quite likely this will happen on older generations in future updates.

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Notably, anti-rollback mechanisms like this can be used in positive ways. For instance, Google’s Android 13 update for the Pixel 6 series was a permanent upgrade due to a security vulnerability, and Google directly announced that the update would implement an “anti-roll back version” of the bootloader when users installed the update.

OnePlus’ reasoning for implementing this change in the latest ColorOS update, though, is currently unclear. DroidWin claims that the same change hasn’t been implemented in OxygenOS, yet, but it could happen in the future, and might have already changed in the past few days. The same report also notes that OnePlus has been removing “rollback packages” (which could be installed locally through OnePlus’ software) for OxygenOS versions of the OnePlus 13, suggesting this anti-rollback change is now in effect.

OnePlus has yet to offer a public comment on the change.

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