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Install LineageOS on
LG V20 (GSM Unlocked)

us996

Warning: The provided instructions are for LineageOS 21. These will only work if you follow every section and step precisely.
Do not continue after something fails!

Basic requirements

Read through the instructions at least once before actually following them, so as to avoid any problems due to any missed steps!
Make sure your computer has adb and fastboot. Setup instructions can be found here.
Enable USB debugging on your device.
Boot your device with the stock OS at least once and check every functionality.
Remove all Google accounts from your device to avoid “Factory reset protection”
LineageOS is provided as-is with no warranty. While we attempt to verify everything works you are installing this at your own risk!

Model Identification

Before proceeding, please identify which type of us996 build you need:

us996 builds are only for devices that were officially bootloader unlocked on LG’s web-portal before it shut down..
us996d builds are only for us996 devices that utilized the DirtySanta unlock method.

Warning: Your device needs a specific firmware version before proceeding.
If your device is currently using a newer or older version than the required version, please up- or downgrade to the required version before proceeding with your LineageOS installation.

The required version is Android 7.0, which may be lower than the LineageOS version you are about to install - this is not an error!
If there are multiple updates of that version (e.g. security updates), make sure to use the latest!

If you need to upgrade or downgrade your device, please search online for guides.
We are unable to provide specific instructions here and on our support platforms.

Unlocking the bootloader

Important: An official method of unlocking the bootloader is not available, but there may be some unofficial methods available. Unofficial methods are not recommended or supported by LineageOS, so use them at your own risk! An unlocked bootloader is required to install LineageOS.

Installing Lineage Recovery using `fastboot`

Download Lineage Recovery. Simply download the latest recovery file, named recovery.img.
Important: Other recoveries may not work for installation or updates. We strongly recommend to use the one linked above!
Connect your device to your PC via USB if it isn’t already.
If your device isn’t already in fastboot mode, on the computer, open a command prompt (on Windows) or terminal (on Linux or macOS) window, and type:
```
adb -d reboot bootloader
```
You can also boot into fastboot mode via a key combination:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down, then insert a USB cable.
Once the device is in fastboot mode, verify your PC finds it by typing:
```
fastboot devices
```
If you don’t get any output or an error:
- on Windows: make sure the device appears in the device manager without a triangle. Try other drivers until the command above works!
- on Linux or macOS: If you see no permissions fastboot try running fastboot as root. When the output is empty, check your USB cable (preferably use a USB Type-A 2.0 one or a USB hub) and port!
Tip: Some devices have buggy USB support while in bootloader mode, if you see fastboot hanging with no output when using commands such as fastboot getvar ..., fastboot boot ..., fastboot flash ... you may want to try a different USB port (preferably a USB Type-A 2.0 one) or a USB hub.
Flash recovery onto your device:
```
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img
```
Now reboot into recovery to verify the installation. Do not reboot into the existing OS, since it will overwrite the recovery you just installed!
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power until the LG logo appears, then release Power for a second and hold it again until the recovery comes up.
  
  Note: If you can’t power down the device, try long-pressing the key-combination (if any was used in the instructions above) until the device reboots and follow the instructions above
Note: If your recovery does not show the LineageOS logo , you accidentally booted into the wrong recovery. Please start at the top of this section!

Installing LineageOS from recovery

Download the LineageOS zip file that you would like to install or build the package yourself.
If you are not in recovery, reboot into recovery:
- With the device powered off, hold Volume Down + Power until the LG logo appears, then release Power for a second and hold it again until the recovery comes up.
  
  Note: Accept the factory reset prompt using the hardware buttons. If you have done everything correctly, this will not actually reset your device but instead will boot the custom recovery.
Now tap Factory Reset, then Format data / factory reset and continue with the formatting process. This will remove encryption and delete all files stored in the internal storage, as well as format your cache partition (if you have one).
Return to the main menu.
Sideload the LineageOS .zip package but do not reboot before you read/followed the rest of the instructions!
- On the device, select “Apply Update”, then “Apply from ADB” to begin sideload.
- On the host machine, sideload the package using: adb -d sideload filename.zip.
  Tip: Normally, adb will report Total xfer: 1.00x, but in some cases, even if the process succeeds the output will stop at 47% and report adb: failed to read command: Success. In some cases it will report adb: failed to read command: No error or adb: failed to read command: Undefined error: 0 which is also fine.

Installing Add-Ons

Note: If you don’t want to install any add-on, you can skip this whole section!

Click Apply Update, then Apply from ADB, then adb -d sideload filename.zip for all desired packages in sequence.
When presented with a screen that says Signature verification failed, click Yes. It is expected as add-ons aren’t signed with LineageOS’s official key!

All set!

Once you have installed everything successfully, you can now reboot your device into the OS for the first time!

Click the back arrow in the top left of the screen, then “Reboot system now”.

Note: The first boot usually takes no longer than 15 minutes, depending on the device. If it takes longer, you may have missed a step, otherwise feel free to get assistance.

If you are wondering about the next steps, continue, otherwise, enjoy your new LineageOS installation.

What next?

If you are considering relocking your bootloader, see our FAQ about it.
If your device is displaying a warning on every boot - there is nothing you can do about it but ignoring.
Please do not use any methods to deinstall system apps. We are already shipping only a minimal set of apps and doing so can break your system. You are warned!
We don’t support any methods for rooting and thus won’t provide support with it on any of our platforms
LineageOS is Android. It supports apps the same way as any other Android device, but apps might choose to exclude you from using them. Please go back to your device’s quirks section and read about “Device integrity”.

Install LineageOS on LG V20 (GSM Unlocked)