Here is our detailed beginner’s guide for the OnePlus Nord that will help users to properly configure their new phone. In this tutorial, we will cover all the basic procedures that every new owner should implement in order to get the best experience out of their OnePlus Nord. With important things such as installing correct USB drivers to rooting OnePlus Nord, we have detailed it all in this singular guide.
OnePlus Nord is shaping up to be a successful phone thanks to its relatively low-pricing and competitive hardware. Further, these characteristics make it best suited for enthusiasts, power users and developers. Be it the overall value or brand loyalty that made you go for OnePlus Nord, there are some essential steps every new owner has to perform for proper OnePlus Nord setup, all of which have been listed below.
Initial Setup Guide for OnePlus Nord
There are some key procedures every new OnePlus Nord owner needs to implement to properly configure their phone. From installing USB drivers for data transfers, to system modifications like root and bootloader unlock, we cover it all in this singular guide.
With OnePlus generally being popular with power users, in this initial setup guide, we have gone ahead and added additional details on unlocking bootloader along with root. However, for someone who is not looking to modify the system side of their phones, they can skip these modification processes.
Install OnePlus Nord Drivers
Trying to transfer old photos, videos and other content from your PC to your OnePlus Nord? Before you connect your phone for the first time, you need to install proper USB drivers. These drivers will ensure your OnePlus Nord gets correctly recognized by your computer (be it a Windows or mac OS machine).
To install the drivers, we have a complete guide covered with all official utilities, read it here: Download and Install OnePlus Nord Drivers.
Check for System Updates
For new customers who just got their phones, it might seem illogical to check for updates right after taking it out of the box but it really is not. Rather, almost all brands push out launch day updates to ensure any underlying issues are addressed and users get the best day-one experience.
Here is how to check for OnePlus Nord updates:
- View the Settings app on your OnePlus One.
- Search for Updates.
- Tap on Check for Updates.
- Wait until it verifies with the server and if there is an update available, immediately install it.
Unlock Bootloader
Now that OnePlus Nord has been completely setup for normal use, you can proceed to modify it. Some key things to keep in mind are: unlocking bootloader will factory reset your phone so your data would be wiped and some warranties do not apply after bootloader unlock.
If you don’t plan on installing an official firmware manually, installing a custom recovery or rooting your phone, you can skip this step.
OnePlus officially supports bootloader unlock on OnePlus Nord and here is how: Unlock OnePlus Nord Bootloader.
How to Root OnePlus Nord
This is another exciting part of getting a new phone, rooting it! Power users and enthusiasts always have their phone rooted to enjoy various mods and features that are otherwise unavailable.
To root OnePlus Nord, you are required to have your bootloader unlock — which we covered in the previous section.
Here is how to root OnePlus Nord:
- Download Magisk Manager and install it on your phone.
- Now, on your phone, download the proper boot.img for your build
- After opening Magisk Manager, go and choose “Select and patch a file” option to patch the boot.img file.
- Magisk Manager will now patch the image and once it is done, the new image will be placed in the Downloads directory of your phone.
- Copy the newly patched image to your computer and connect your phone.
- Fire up adb and issue the following command: adb reboot bootloader
- Next, when your phone is in bootloader mode, run the command: fastboot getvar current-slot
- If the output is a, type “fastboot flash boot_a magisk_patched.img” and press Enter.
- If the output is b, type “fastboot flash boot_b magisk_patched.img” and press Enter.
- Reboot and your phone should be rooted!
This root process has mostly remained the same for most modern Android 10 phones and we are glad to report it works on OnePlus Nord!
And More: How to Install TWRP, GCam Mod for OnePlus Nord
There is still a lot that you can do after completing these procedures such as installing TWRP custom recovery. Fortunately, we have dedicated tutorials available for those as well:
Hopefully, by now, your OnePlus Nord should be perfectly setup and ready for use. If you think we missed anything, let us know in the comments!
