Basic requirements
Important: Please read through the instructions at least once completely before actually following them to avoid any problems because you missed something!
- Make sure your computer has working
adb
andfastboot
. Setup instructions can be found here. - Enable USB debugging on your device.
Unlocking the bootloader
Note: The steps below only need to be run once per device.
-
Download the bootloader unlock app for your device:
- Navigate to ASUS’ support site and go to your device’s page by entering its model number.
- Click Driver & Tools.
- Select Android from the drop-down menu.
- Open the Utilities section.
- Download the Unlock Device App.
- If the downloaded file is packaged in a
.zip
archive, extract it.
- Connect the device to your PC via USB.
- On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window and change to the location where the Unlock Device App
.apk
resides. - Install the
.apk
by typing:adb install Name_of_unlock_app.apk
- For example, on the ZE551ML device, it would be
adb install UnlockApp_ze551ml_20150723.apk
.
- For example, on the ZE551ML device, it would be
-
Run the application Unlock Device Tool from the device and agree to the terms.
Note: After you agree to the terms, the ASUS unlock app might ask you to login with your Google account. If your password does not work, then you need to enable temporary access for less secure apps here. If you have two-factor authentication enabled on your Google account, you will have to generate an individual app password on the Google accounts settings website, as the unlock app does not natively support two-factor. - Press the button to unlock your device.
- The device should automatically reboot into bootloader mode and the message
unlock successfully...reboot after 5 seconds
should be displayed. The device will then reboot and load Android.
Installing a custom recovery using fastboot
-
Download a custom recovery - you can download TWRP. Simply download the latest recovery file, named something like
twrp-x.x.x-x-Z00D.img
. - Connect your device to your PC via USB.
- On the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
adb reboot bootloader
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power.
- Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
fastboot devices
Tip: If you seeno permissions fastboot
while on Linux or macOS, try runningfastboot
as root. - Flash recovery onto your device:
fastboot flash recovery twrp-x.x.x-x-Z00D.img
Tip: The file may not be named identically to what stands in this command, so adjust accordingly. - Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power. On the next screen (fastboot mode) use Volume Down to scroll to “RECOVERY” and then press Power to select.
Installing LineageOS from recovery
-
Build a LineageOS install package.
- Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps (use the
x86
architecture)
- Optionally, download 3rd party application packages such as Google Apps (use the
- If you aren’t already in recovery, reboot into recovery:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Up + Power. On the next screen (fastboot mode) use Volume Down to scroll to “RECOVERY” and then press Power to select.
- (Optional, but recommended): Select the Backup button to create a backup. Make sure to create the backup in the external sdcard or copy it into your computer, since the internal storage will be formatted.
- Select Wipe, then Format Data and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption and also delete all files stored in the internal storage.
-
Select Wipe and then Advanced Wipe.
-
Select Cache and System partitions to be wiped and then Swipe to Wipe.
- Place the LineageOS
.zip
package, as well as any other .zip packages on the root of/sdcard
:- Using adb:
adb push filename.zip /sdcard/
- You can use any method you are comfortable with.
adb
is universal across all devices, and works both in Android and recovery mode, providing USB debugging is enabled.
- Using adb:
- Go back to return to main menu, then select Install.
- Navigate to
/sdcard
, and select the LineageOS.zip
package. -
Follow the on-screen prompts to install the package.
-
(Optional): Install any additional packages using the same method.
Note: If you want any Google Apps on your device, you must follow this step before the first boot into Android! - (Optional): Root the device by installing the LineageOS su add-on (use the
x86
package) or using any other method you prefer. - Once installation has finished, return to the main menu, select Reboot, and then System.
Get assistance
If you have any questions or get stuck on any of the steps, feel free to ask on our subreddit or in #LineageOS on freenode.