Huawei P8 Lite Unlock Bootloader, Install TWRP and Android 8.0 Oreo

Huawei P8 Lite came with Android Nougat out of the box. With the release of Android 8.0 update to Nexus and Pixel devices, Google released also the source code too. The official update will take some time to reach all the devices however in the meantime you can install Custom ROMs and get the latest features of Android. In most of the times, a custom ROM is way better than the official firmware because it is free of bloatware and also is optimized to run smoothly and bring more features and optimizations.

Huawei P8 Lite has got an unofficial Android 8.0 update by Team OpenKirin. They have named the ROM as GZOSP ROM and it is based on Android Open Source Project. As the ROM is considered under work in progress (WIP) category, there are some bugs. Anyhow if you want to get a feeling and install Android 8.0 Oreo on Huawei P8 Lite.

Points to consider

• Charge the device up to 60% before you install the GZOSP ROM.
• Backup all your important files and save somewhere else. If you have a custom recovery such as TWRP installed on your device then it’s better to do a Nandroid backup.
• Your device should have EMUI 4.1 preinstalled/
• The bootloader of Huawei P8 lite must be unlocked before you proceed any further.

How to unlock Huawei P8 Lite Bootloader

• Install ADB and Fastboot on your computer.
• Go to Settings >> About Phone >> tap 7 times on Build Number. A message will show up saying ‘you’re now a developer’.
• Go to Settings >> Developer Options and enable both USB Debugging and OEM Unlock.

Downloads

• Hi Suite Drivers
• TWRP Recovery 
• Modified SuperSU

Procedure

• Send your device’s IMEI number, serial number via email to mobile@huawei.com
• Around 48 hours you will receive the 16 digit unlocking code.
• Connect the phone to computer via a USB cable.
• Turn off the phone and boot it into fastboot mode. Press and hold in the same time Power Button and Volume Down.
• Go to the folder where adb and fastboot are installed and open a command prompt window there. Hold shift and right click on a blank space.
• Type the following code:

fastboot oem unlock <16 digit code>

• Press Enter

The bootloader is now unlocked. You will nee to install the TWRP Recovery by following the steps below:

• Put your phone again into fastboot mode.
• Open a command prompt file on the adb/fastboot folder
• Type the following code:

fastboot devices

• Press Enter
• Type this code:

fastboot flash recovery recovery.img

• Click Enter and type the other code:

fastboot reboot

How to install Android 8.0 GZOSP ROM on Huawei P8 Lite

Download the below files:

• GZOSP ROM Android 8.0

Turn off your phone and boot it into recovery mode. Wipe the data and perform a factory reset. Go back to the recovery main menu and navigate to the install section. Select the ROM zip file you downloaded from the link above and flash it. Once the ROM is installed, reboot the device.

Bugs Noted in this ROM

As stated earlier this is the unofficial work in progress ROM and there are some bugs which may not be suitable for daily use. The following features have stopped working since Huawei P8 Lite has been updated to the latest Android 8.0 Oreo.

• NFC
• Camera
• Bluetooth
• Radio Interface Layer (RIL)
• Sensors

The above-mentioned features are very important in everyday usage and as they are not working properly, it is better to not update the phone if you are planning it for everyday usage. Anyhow you still can visit the official thread to check if maybe there is an updated version of the ROM.