[Update: New method] You can now rebrand your T-Mobile OnePlus 7 Pro after unlocking bootloader

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

If you are reading this article, then let me guess: you are a long time T-Mobile user, support the #uncarrier movement and really excited to get your hands on an interesting flagship from a Chinese brand called OnePlus.

Well, not necessarily you should satisfy all of the three conditions, but the carrier branded versions does pack some advantages over the regular unlocked models. The major point is obviously the flexible financing options and device exchange opportunities with T-Mobile.

However, there is a catch!

Like every carrier branded phone, the OnePlus 7 Pro from T-Mobile also has a handful of limitations. No, we are not talking about bundled bloatware here (which are, fortunately, very less in this variant).

Apart from limited config/color options to choose from, the carrier branded OnePlus 7 Pro runs a trimmed down version of OxygenOS. Compared to the regular units, it does not feature the exclusive DC dimming mode or new camera specific enhancements.

Single SIM slot with a network locked SIM, slower update cycle, no beta channel updates: the list is pretty long. For the same set of reasons, 2018’s T-Mobile OnePlus 6T user found a way to convert aka rebrand their phones as unlocked global variant.

The method involved the usage of MSM Download Tool, and we discussed about the tool in one of our previous articles. However, we can’t use the same method on OnePlus 7 Pro at this moment as the version checks preventing crossflashing have not been patched yet.

Worry not young padawan, as there is another way to convert your T-Mobile branded OnePlus 7 Pro. The only downside is, it is slightly less efficient and kinda lengthy.

As the primary prerequisite, you have to get rid of the SIM lock and subsequently have access to the device specific bootloader unlock token. The official criteria of getting the network unlock (also known as SIM unlock) are as follows:

Postpaid accounts

• The device must have been active on the T-Mobile network for at least 40 days on the requesting line.
• The device must be paid in full.
• For canceled accounts, the account balance must be zero.

Prepaid accounts

• The device must have been active on the account for atleast one year;
  OR
• The Prepaid account using the device must have more than $100 in refills since device first use date.

If you are satisfying these prerequisites, then you should contact T-Mobile. Pro tip: those who are running an endless chat with T-Mobile representatives, you should head over to this XDA thread and get some handy suggestions.

Afterwards, you need to unlock the bootloader. Unlike the regular OnePlus phones, T-Mobile branded phones require a special token/unlocked code.

After getting the unlock token, you should boot your phone to bootloader/fastboot mode, connect with your computer and issue the following command:

fastboot flash cust-unlock <unlock_token.bin>

Next, execute the regular unlock command:

fastboot oem unlock

Once you are done with the bootloader unlocking part, head over to TWRP. The latest version of TWRP (3.3.1-14 at the time of writing this article) should be able to decrypt your data partition, so you can easily flash OxygenOS full zip.

After flashing the regular OxygenOS update package on both slots, reboot to recovery once again (TWRP should be replaced by stock OnePlus recovery) and do a factory reset. At this stage, you will be booted to standard OxygenOS global firmware.

For the sake of simplicity, you can once again reflash the full update zip via Local Upgrade option to ensure that every partition are being updated. You can then relock the bootloader to regain Widevine L1 and SafetyNet green status.

As a bonus, you can now use a second SIM as well. Just buy a compatible dual SIM tray from local stores or order online.

The OnePlus community is currently analyzing the MSMDownloadTool to patch the model verification routines. Once it’s done, it will be possible to achieve the same result without unlocking bootloader!

Now you can ‘unbrand’ your T-Mobile OnePlus 7 Pro, even without unlocking the bootloader. However, the new method can’t SIM unlock the phone.

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