Huawei P20 and P20 Pro was launched a few weeks back and both devices features Huawei’s latest offerings like EMUI 8.1 (Android 8.1 Oreo), triple camera, notch display and much more. Though EMUI 8.1 offers great features and experience, some users might want to step further with unlock bootloader, TWRP recovery root on their P20 and P20 Pro.
The first prerequisite before installing TWRP or root the device is unlocked bootloader. Since Huawei officially supports unlocking the bootloader of Huawei P20, Huawei P20 Pro, and Huawei P20 Lite, you can go to Huawei’s unlock page, request for unlock code and follow below steps to unlock the bootloader.
Warning: Keep in mind that the below given procedures are risky and may brick your device. These will also void your device’s warranty. Follow the instruction at your own risk. We will not be liable if any damage occurs to your device and/or its components.
If you have enough reasons to unlock bootloader, get root access and TWRP custom recovery on your P20 and P20 Pro, then follow the steps below. Before proceeding with any steps, back up all data you have on the phone.
Unlock Huawei P20/P20 Pro/P20 Lite Bootloader:
- Go to Huawei’s unlock page, login with your Huawei ID and commit for 16 digit unlock code
Enable OEM Unlock and USB Debugging - Hold the Volume Down key on your phone and connect it your PC via a USB cable. Your phone will boot into Fastboot Mode
- Go to the ADB directory, open a command window and execute the command ‘
fastboot devices’ to check the connection with your phone and PC - Now, execute the command ‘
fastboot oem unlock unlock-password’ (Replace unlock-password with the unique 16-digit unlock password). - On your phone, select ‘Yes’ to unlock the bootloader.
Now, you can install TWRP recovery and root Unlock Huawei P20/P20 Pro. Note that, TeamWin not yet released official TWRP recovery for Huawei P20/P20 Pro. However, unofficial version of TWRP is now available for both devices.
Install TWRP Recovery on Huawei P20 and P20 Pro
- Download unofficial TWRP recovery for Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Pro and save the zip file where ADB is installed on your PC
- Boot your phone into Fastboot mode
- Go to ADB installation folder and execute the below command to install TWRP
fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk [name of the file].img
- Now, execute the command
fastboot reboot
Important!: As soon as you execute the fastboot reboot command, remove the USB cable from PC and keep pressing Volume UP key. This will avoid the system to patch TWRP.
How to Root Huawei P20/ 20 Pro
- Download Magisk or SuperSU ZIP file and save the file on your phone storage
- Boot your phone into TWRP (use Volume Up and Power keys after switching off the phone)
- Swipe the button on the ‘Unmodified system partition’ warning and then tap ‘Install’ button.
- Navigate and select Magisk/SuperSU ZIP file and swipe to flash it.
- Finally, select Reboot > System to boot your phone
You are now rooted. You can use a root checker app to verify the root access. (Source – 1, 2)
