OxygenOS for Oneplus Ace 5 Pro (hummer)

The OnePlus Ace 5 Pro, a powerful device boasting cutting-edge specifications, currently graces the Chinese market exclusively with ColorOS. While ColorOS offers a feature-rich experience, many OnePlus enthusiasts outside China yearn for the familiar and beloved interface of OxygenOS. This post chronicles my personal journey into the challenging yet rewarding endeavor of porting OxygenOS to the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro.

The Porting Process

My approach to this porting project was a multi-stage process, focusing on systematically addressing the differences between the Chinese ColorOS build and a global OxygenOS counterpart (in this case, leveraging a similar recent OnePlus device as a base).

1. Environment Setup and Initial Analysis: The first crucial step involved setting up a robust development environment. This included installing the Android SDK, necessary build tools, and ensuring proper ADB and Fastboot connectivity with the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro. Following this, I meticulously analyzed the stock ColorOS ROM, identifying key system partitions, vendor blobs, and framework configurations. Comparing this structure to the target OxygenOS ROM was essential to pinpoint the areas requiring modification.

2. Base System Integration: This was arguably the most complex phase. It involved flashing the core OxygenOS system image onto the device while retaining crucial vendor and hardware-specific files from the ColorOS ROM. This step often leads to boot loops and various system instabilities, requiring careful log analysis (adb logcat) to diagnose and address issues. Key challenges included:

   • Kernel Compatibility: Ensuring the OxygenOS kernel properly interfaces with the Ace 5 Pro's hardware. This often necessitates patching or even replacing kernel modules.
   • Vendor Blob Integration: Identifying and integrating essential vendor libraries (camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) from ColorOS into the OxygenOS environment. Incompatibilities here can lead to non-functional hardware.
   • Framework Adaptation: Modifying the Android framework (services.jar, framework.jar, etc.) to accommodate the integrated vendor blobs and resolve dependency conflicts. This often involved decompiling, patching, and recompiling smali code.

3. Feature Implementation and Bug Fixing: Once the base system was booting, the focus shifted to bringing essential OxygenOS features to life and squashing the inevitable bugs. This involved:

   • UI and UX Elements: Porting OxygenOS-specific applications (launcher, settings, dialer, messaging, etc.) and ensuring they integrate seamlessly with the underlying system. This often required resource overlay adjustments and framework modifications.
   • Hardware Functionality Testing: Rigorously testing all hardware components (camera, sensors, audio, connectivity) and addressing any driver or configuration issues.
   • Stability and Performance Optimization: Identifying and resolving crashes, ANRs (Application Not Responding), and performance bottlenecks through extensive testing and profiling.

4. Iterative Refinement: Porting an entire operating system is rarely a linear process. It involves countless iterations of testing, debugging, and refining. Each identified issue required careful investigation, often involving log analysis, code inspection, and targeted modifications. 54 This porting endeavor is an ongoing process with its fair share of challenges and breakthroughs. While a fully stable and feature-complete OxygenOS experience on the OnePlus Ace 5 Pro is the ultimate goal, each step forward provides valuable insights into the intricacies of Android system development and the dedication of the modding community. Stay tuned for future updates on this exciting project!