Hello, I’d like to install /e/OS on a ASUS ZenFone 8.
It is currently on Android 11 and I see on the instructions page that I must ensure that the device is on the latest Android 12 firmware.
Can someone confirm me that it is still relevant ?
If I update my phone now I guess I’ll directly receive the Android 13 firmware so what’s the proper way to procede should I update to Android 13 and then somehow downgrade to Android 12 before trying to flash the latest /e/ build ?
Should I wait for a /e/OS release on Android 13 for the Zenfone 8 ?
Edit : My topic has been moved to the os-upgrade section but I’m not looking to upgrade my phone.
It is currently on Android 11 (not on /e/OS but on the the official preinstalled ROM) and I’d like to install /e/OS on it.
I understand that it must be on Android 12 before proceeding to the /e/OS installation but the latest ROM available for this phone (the one that is offered by Asus) is Android 13 so my question is how can I avoid this Android 13 ROM and just update my phone from Android 11 to Android 12 before proceeding to the /e/OS installation ?
I’m not a Zenfone user but have followed their devices to a certain extent because I liked the size and specs.
Just lately I’ve been noticing a lot of talk on xda about Zenfone support being in a dubious state; especially regarding their bootloader unlock tool. See here for a thread about the Z8 but also go and look at the latest threads for the Z10 and others.
I’m pretty sure it used to be possible to download Asus stock firmware images from their website but even that is looking a bit dodgy too. This XDA thread though not directly relevant to your question might shed some light.
If you can get the bootloader unlocked, then here’s the process I would recommend:
Upgrade the phone to Android 13.
Use the Android 12 rollback tool on the 13 beta page. (Scroll down a ways to find it.)
Install /e/OS using the guide.
This is more or less the steps I had to do a few months back. It should allow things to work just fine. Like has been mentioned, the ability to unlock the bootloader has been iffy lately. More detailed steps of what I’ve done are in other forum posts from me trying to figure it out.
Note: You need to start form the non-beta version of Android 12. So updating to 13 first, then rolling back is the method that needs to be used. If the install fails, you can use one of the ASUS provided tools to get back to a working system fairly easily. I had to do this multiple times while figuring out the workflow I used above.
Yes, I didn’t find the bootloader unlock tool on the Asus official webpage but I found a link to download the apk on this page : https://unlocktechy.com/unlock-bootloader-asus-zenfone-8
Do you think it could work or it is not safe to use it ?
Rumor is that Asus is gonna allow you to unlock their phones again at the end of this month. I’ve never heard of that website before, so I can’t vouch for their credibility/safety. Personally, I’d wait a few weeks to see if Asus actually follows through with letting us unlock things before I consider using those files. If they don’t, then I might consider using those files.
I guess if the phone is gonna be useless to you without being able to unlock the bootloader, it’s probably worth a shot eventually. If you need it for anything important though, I wouldn’t mess with them. There’s a chance they could totally brick the phone or install some kind of sketchy firmware. At the very least, you could sell the phone and put the money towards a different one. (Though I am a big fan of the phone.)
The bootloader unlock tool is not available and it seems like a permanent situation.
Maybe the instructions pages for installing /e/OS on Asus phones should come with a warning about it since it is impossible to install /e/OS (or any custom ROM) without this tool.
