The OnePlus 5T has not even started to ship out yet but there’s already a working TWRP to help users get the device rooted, for those who like to do that kind of thing, thanks to XDA Developers. For those who may not already know, TWRP is an open-source custom recovery image tool made specifically for Android-based devices. It allows for a number of root-level adjustments and customizations to be implemented on a given device. Unfortunately, there still aren’t any ROMs to flash or kernel modifications available for the flagship yet but the TWRP build will allow users to wipe partitions, backup their devices, and flash zip files to the OnePlus 5T. As is usually the case, all a user needs to do is unlock the devices bootloader and either flash or boot the TWRP tool over to get it up and running.
Interestingly enough, despite the similarities between the previously released OnePlus 5 and the new OnePlus 5T, the source wasn’t able to get the TWRP for that older device to boot on the OnePlus 5T. Instead, it had to be repacked with the OnePlus 5T’s kernel. Because the build is so new and the kernel has only recently been released for the OnePlus 5T, it isn’t immediately clear whether it is possible to create builds that work across both devices. It would make some sense if that were possible, but since the new kernel also appears to include fixes a couple of issues – including a jelly scrolling issue – it may not turn out to be possible if the devices are too dissimilar. As noted by the source, the ability to create unified builds would improve the overall progression of new custom setups for both devices since development efforts wouldn’t need to be split between the older and newer handsets.
In the meantime, the TWRP in question is also not official, having been built out primarily for testing purposes. So it bears mentioning that it is possible that there could be some as-yet-unknown problems with it. Bearing that mind, anybody who feels adventurous enough to try it out for themselves can either head over to the source link or hit the button below.
Download TWRP