Downgrade OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T from Android 13 to Android 12

In this guide, we will show you the steps to downgrade your OnePlus OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T from Android 13 to Android 12. The thirteenth iteration of the OS has just been rolled out by OnePlus for its eighth series. This time around, you are likely to welcome a plethora of goodies, including the likes of Aquamorphic Design, under-the-hood efficiency improvements to various system apps, updates to the Gaming Engine, and a slew of new personalization options.

On the flip upside though, it is currently in the beta stage, so you are likely to come across a few bugs and issues. While they would be ironed out with the release of the stable build, but the fact that the OxygenOS 13 is closer to ColorOS than ever before is here to stay. Fortunately, there’s an escape route available- you could easily downgrade your OnePlus OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T from Android 13 to Android 12. And in this guide, we will show you how to do just that. Follow along.

Downgrade OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T from Android 13 to Android 12 Official Method

Do note that the below process will wipe off all the data from your device, so take a complete device backup beforehand. Droidwin and its members wouldn’t be held responsible in case of a thermonuclear war, your alarm doesn’t wake you up, or if anything happens to your device and data by performing the below two methods.

European and Indian Variants

1. To begin with, download the downgrade firmware corresponding to your region from below-

   Android 13 Open Beta 1 to Android 12 Downgrade Firmware
   
   OnePlus 8 [IN]: IN2011_11_C_OTA_1350_all_51f3c0_00011011.zip
   OnePlus 8 Pro [IN]: IN2021_11_C_OTA_1350_all_b828c6_00011011.zip
   OnePlus 8T [IN]: KB2001_11_C_OTA_1350_all_deb112_00011011.zip
   

2. Then transfer the downloaded firmware to your device’s internal storage [but not inside any folder].
3. After that, head over to Settings > About device > Version.
4. Now tap on Build Number 7 times and enter your password [if asked]. It will enable the Developer Mode.
5. Then go back to Settings -> About device -> Up to date.
6. Now tap on the button situated at the top right and select Local Install. [Missing Local Install? Here’s the Fix].
7. Then navigate to the downloaded Android 12 firmware and select it. Then tap on Extract > Upgrade.
8. Now, wait for the installation to complete. Once done, tap on Restart. That’s it.
9. Your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T will now boot to the downgraded Android 12 OS.

Global/NA Variant

1. To begin with, download the firmware corresponding to your region from the Downloads section above.
2. Then transfer the downloaded firmware to your device’s internal storage [but not inside any folder].
3. Now download and install the OnePlus Downgrade APK  from below-

   DOWNLOAD: OnePlus_tools.apk

4. In some instances, the app might be downloaded as a ZIP [filename.apk.zip].
5. So rename the file and remove .zip from the end so that it becomes filename.apk.
6. Now install the app and then launch it. After that, tap on Local Upgrade.
7. Then navigate to the Android 12 firmware, select it, and tap on Install Now.
8. Wait for the installation to complete. Once done, tap on Restart. That’s it.
9. Your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T will now boot to the downgraded Android 12 OS.

These were steps to downgrade your OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T from Android 13 to Android 12. Do note that the above-listed instructions will be applicable across all the Android 13 releases for this device, be it the Beta or Stable builds. With that said, if you have any queries concerning the aforementioned steps, do let us know in the comments. We will get back to you with a solution at the earliest.

Downgrade OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T Via Fastboot Enhance Tool

This is a tool created by XDA Senior Member xzr467706992 and beholds a slew of intriguing features, including the ability to directly flash the payload.bin file, without the need to even manually extract it first. Do note that even though this tool was created for OnePlus 8T but it should work across other OnePlus 8 series devices too. [Well, I have personally tested it on OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 10 Pro, it works well and good even on those devices].

STEP 1: Download Fastboot Enhance Tool

Download the Fastboot Enhance Tool from GitHub [direct link]. Once downloaded, extract it to any convenient location on your PC. The biggest advantage of this tool is that you could directory flash the payload.bin file, there is no need to extract it and get the resultant IMG files!

STEP 2: Download OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T Pro ROM

1. Next up, get hold of the firmware for your device from below:

   OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T Pro Stock Firmware

2. Once downloaded, extract it and transfer the resultant payload.bin file to the Fastboot Enhance Tool folder.
   

STEP 3: Install Android SDK

Next up, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. This is the official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google and is the only recommended one. So download it and then extract it to any convenient location on your PC. Doing so will give you the platform tools folder, which will be used throughout this guide.

STEP 4: Install Fastboot Drivers

The tool doesn’t come with the Fastboot Drivers, so you will manually have to install it on your PC. For that, please refer to our guide on How to Install Fastboot Drivers in Windows 11. Likewise, make sure to install the OnePlus USB Drivers as well [they are usually automatically installed as soon as you connect your device to the Windows PC for the first time].

STEP 5: Boot to Fastboot Mode

1. Connect your device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure USB Debugging is enabled.
2. Then head over to the platform-tools folder, type in CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter. This will launch the Command Prompt.
3. After that, type in the following command in the CMD window to boot your device to Fastboot Mode

   adb reboot bootloader

   

4. To verify the Fastboot connection, type in the below command and you should get back the device ID.

   fastboot devices

   

STEP 6: Flash Downgrade Firmware on OnePlus 8/8 Pro/8T via Fastboot

1. To begin with, launch the Fastboot Enhance Tool via its EXE file.
   
2. Your device should be listed under the Fastboot Virtualization tab,  select it.
   
3. After that, click on the Reboot to FastbootD button.
4. Your device will boot to FastbootD Mode.

   

5. Now go to the Payload Dumper tab and click on Browse.
   
6. Navigate to the payload.bin file, select it and click Open.
7. The file will now be loaded in the tool, displaying the resultant information.
   
8. Now go to the Fastboot Virtualization tab and click on Flash payload.bin. If the flashing starts, well and good.
   
9. However, if you get the ‘Virtual A/B temporary partitions exist’ popup, then click on No.
   
10. After that, go to the Partitions tab and type in cow in the Filter by name box.
    
11. Select all the partitions from the results that have cow in their name and hit the Delete button.
12. Once done, click on Flash payload.bin. This time the flashing will start without any issues.
    
13. Once complete, you will be notified of the same. You may now boot to the OS by clicking on Reboot to System.
    

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