Posts about Android 11
Even though it was already mentioned before, I thought it needed to be said, regarding what I experienced recently.
Ever since Android TV 11 became available to consumers (late 2021/early 2022), users have been facing this issue where their file manager app (mostly x-plore) cannot read, write or delete files from internal storage.
The thing is, on an Android TV 11 (or higher) device, when you open the x-plore app for the first time after installing, the OS asks for storage permission. But only two options are shown: "Allow while only using the app" & "Don't allow".
The solution is, you need to select the "Allow all the time" option, but it needs to be done from the settings.
Settings> Apps> X-plore> permissions> files & media. There, all three options will be shown.
I've had a few requests to post this:
My OnePlus 7T received Android 12 via an OTA update mid-December 2022.
I immediately started having multiple problems including:
Mobile Data failing to work (showing "!", no data)
Wifi spontaneously turning off multiple times per day
Bluetooth no longer connecting to my car
Phone would occasionally reboot for no obvious reason
Minor screen brightness issues
Apps crashing that never previously crashed (Instagram, for example)
and more...
I was able to revert to Android 11 two weeks ago and all these problems went away!
Note: OnePlus Support started by replying to my emails, and sounded like they were going to help, then ghosted me for over three weeks, and came back saying they were unable to provide me with a firmware image to revert to Android 11. Luckily, the Internet provides...
Some reference posts (and especially post-replies) that I found which helped me:
https://community.oneplus.com/thread/1228068753599102977 (instructions in the replies)
https://community.oneplus.com/thread/1181216999612088323 (contains the links to the OnePlus_tools.apk, plus links to the "rollback packages" for OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro. Note the instructions here didn't work exactly)
Note that (according to some post) "GLO" is the "Global" version, and North America (Canada, in my case) is GLOBAL. EU is Europe, IN is India. Use the correct version, obviously.
Note that OnePlus 7, 7T, and 7 Pro are all different phones. Use the correct version, obviously.
IMPORTANT: I'm not responsible if your phone fails to work if you follow these instructions. This is just a summary of information I found on the Internet. It worked for me. It might not work for you. I went into this understanding that I might have to buy myself a new phone, and I was pleasently surprised when it worked first try. I read MANY forum threads gaining some understanding about what I wanted to do, and it worked for me. Your mileage may vary. Past performance is not an indication of future success. Etc... It DOES wipe your phone, so backup first!
Here are my steps that worked for me:
Copied OnePlus_tools.apk to phone's root directory. (via USB cable)
Put myself in developer mode. (7 clicks on Android Settings Version Number)
Clicked on OnePlus_tools.apk in files explorer and installed it. (had to give permission, etc.)
Copied OnePlus7TOxygen_14.I.31_OTA_0310_all_2112101928_downgrade_327348e7ed1f4427.zip to root (this package file being the right one for my phone, as per the above postings)
Went to "check for updates" and did NOT see the button to downgrade OTA that some posts suggested. (others had also reported not seeing the button)
Ran OnePlus_tools.apk
Only option: "Local Upgrade" (I think it said). Did that.
Pointed it at the OnePlus7TOxygen_14.I.31_OTA_0310_all_2112101928_downgrade_327348e7ed1f4427.zip
Engage.
Update proceded. (took >10-15 minutes. Felt like ages) Stayed on 99% for quite a while, be patient.
I saw some text that flashed briefly saying: "When update competes restart your phone to complete the update". (or similar)
The "99%" finally went away and was replaced with text which said: "After the update is completed, please" (then it truncated to the edge of the screen)
I deduce it wants me to restart.
I restarted.
On restart: "Wiping, please wait"
Reboot looks like a fresh phone. (Asked for LAN password, etc.)
Did fresh phone setup. Google Account, a few settings.
When that was done, quickly got notification for update to:
OnePlus 7T OxygenOS 11.0.9.1.HD65AA (126MB)
... includes update to Android Security Patch 2022.06
Seems good - installing.
Success - Now running Android 11!
NOTES:
One forum post mentioned that you cannot restore your apps from backup if you're downgrading. I didn't test that myself, mostly because I didn't click "restore" at the right time. So I ended up re-installing all my apps from scratch. Would it have worked? Dunno.
I ended up losing some non-backed up data for a few apps because of this.
There is also a file to: "help restore the lost applications after rollback to Android 11" located here: https://community.oneplus.com/thread/1181216999612088323. I never installed that, but some posts said it was useful.
I had trouble adding a second Google Account to the phone at first. (it failed to complete the process) But after rebooting, and trying later, I found it had "taken" and my second account (my work email address) was now showing up in Gmail. This was the only post-boot hiccup.
All this was two weeks ago, and I've had no problems since.
Recommendation: Make a list of the apps you want to re-install afterwards. It's been two weeks for me and I'm still remembering apps I missed.
And lastly, remember to backup anything you don't want to lose, it will wipe your phone.
If you do this, good luck! Remember: Mine worked. Yours might not. I'm not responsible if it doesn't work for you. I'm just some guy on the Internet, what do I know...