OnePlus 5/5T: Installing Magisk root & xXx NoLimits ROM

We've unlocked a bootloader and installed TWRP on OnePlus 5 in the last article, now we'll see how to make use of it - to root the phone with Magisk and install xXx's NoLimits custom ROM

About xXx NoLimits ROM

xXx NoLimits ROM isn’t actually a full-on replacement of the default OxygenOS system - it works on top of it and it’s highly customizable. What this means for you?

  • you can keep all the features you love about OxygenOS
  • you can debloat everything you’re not a fan of (Google/system apps) and effectively slim down your system, so your battery lasts longer
  • all the good features will still work (namely OnePlus’ dual camera with portrait mode!)

Let’s get to it!

Note: this article assumes your bootloader is already unlocked and custom TWRP Recovery installed. If not, jump into OnePlus 5/5T: Unlocking bootloader & Installing TWRP Recovery first!

Installing Magisk

Magisk Manager acts like your “control center” for all the nice things related to root, hiding rooted state from banking apps (!) and offer extending functionality by various Modules.

OnePlus 5: Installing Magisk

  1. Download Magisk from official homepage (under Downloads > Latest Stable) and Magisk manager (same page, Downloads > Latest Magisk Manager)
  2. Copy all ZIP files to your phone, if you haven’t done that already
  3. In your TWRP, select Install
  4. Locate and select the Magisk file and Swipe to confirm Flash on the next screen
  5. When done, tap Wipe cache/dalvik (again, swipe to confirm) and then Reboot System
  6. Locate the Magisk Manager in your File manager > Storage and install it as well

Installing xXx NoLimits for OnePlus

Original xXx NoLimits for OnePlus 5/5T versions are end of life unfortunately, but the same ROM for OnePlus 6/6T is still compatible with OnePlus 5.

Preparation

Go to official xXx NoLimits ROM thread and download:

  • xXx_NoLimits_5.2_OP6_magisk_rom.zip (or newer, if available)
  • xXx.NoLimits.profile (v20)
  • xXx_NoLimits_uninstaller_2.0.zip
  1. Make changes to the xXx.NoLimits.profile configuration file (optional)

This config is used as a template for your wanted settings in xXx ROM. When you edit and tweak it to your likings (and keep it on your phone), you will retain all your customizations even if you later update to newer version of stock OxygenOS and/or newer xXx ROM.

The config profile is nicely self-documented, so you shouldn’t have any problem following it and editing it as you please. The golden rule always is “if you don’t understand something, don’t touch it” ;)

Warning! Do NOT select StereoSpeakerMod for installation, as it is not compatible with OnePlus 5! It is turned off by default in the config, so keep it that way.

Installation

  1. When you’re done and satisfied with your profile, save it and copy all these 3 files (profile, xXx ROM & uninstaller) over to your OnePlus 5, to xXx folder in your root directory (Internal storage/xXx). If the xXx installer won’t find any profile there, it will use a default one baked into the ROM itself. In other words: if you don’t find anything worth changing in the profile config, you can safely ignore it.

  2. Reboot to TWRP Recovery - long press power button and select Recovery - this will bring you again to the familiar TWRP

Before going further, I highly recommend you to do a full system backup in TWRP! - this will help you in case of any problems along the way. Go to Backup, check all the checkboxes, give your backup some nice, memorable name and back everything up. In case things go south, you can recover this from within TWRP > Restore in the future.

  1. Select Install, enter the xXx folder and select xXx_NoLimits_5.2_OP6_magisk_rom.zip (or whatever else version you have)
  2. Once again, swipe to confirm flash and wait for it to install
  3. Next, Wipe cache/dalvik and Reboot System

Now comes the moment of truth, if you haven’t been too aggressive in debloating your OnePlus phone..

If anything goes wrong, here’s official OnePlus 5 OxygenOS ROM on OnePlus forums.

Troubleshooting

  • Can’t login into some apps after installlation – some of my apps were crashing right after I tried to login into them. This happens if you removed Google Chrome, as its Webview is needed to display content by some apps. You can easily solve this by updating your Android System WebView system app – just go to Google Play, find the app and hit update.

Re-/un-installation

If you’d like to experiment with your xXx.NoLimits.profile and further tweak the ROM to your likings, simply edit the profile file on your PC, copy it over to your OnePlus 5. Then boot into TWRP Recovery and flash xXx_NoLimits.. ROM again. It will rebuild the ROM based on your profile again.

In case you want to go back to your stock OxygenOS ROM, all you need is to flash the xXx_NoLimits_uninstaller (as usual, Wipe cache/dalvik afterwards). This will revert the changes xXx made to your system. However, your profile will remain intact (in case you want to install it again) and there might be some leftover apps in your system. Those can be easily uninstalled via Google Play, as normal apps.

Finale

Congrats if you made it so far, you’re now a proud owner of customized OnePlus 5! Don’t forget to check the official xXx.NoLimits thread on XDA forum and say thanks to the developer for all the work he invested!