In this guide, we will share the Nothing Phone 3 bootloader unlock, rooting, and OrangeFox Recovery installation guides. We will show you how to root Nothing Phone 3 with Magisk and KernelSU root solution, and OrangeFox Recovery installation guide using the fastboot tool. Nothing Phone’s new flagship Android smartphone, the Nothing Phone 3, launched this year with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 processor. We have already posted news and updates in our Telegram group and the official Nothing Phone 3 wallpapers on our blog. This time, we will share the rooting guide.
You can root the device with Magisk or the KernelSU app by patching the boot image. The custom recovery OrangeFox is also available for the device; you can install the unofficial OrangeFox recovery. After rooting the device, make sure the safety net test passes so you can use banking security apps. We have also written how to pass strong integrity on the Nothing Phone 3 smartphone after rooting.
Rooting Nothing Phone 3 with Magisk / KernelSU
The only way to root the Nothing Phone 3 is via Magisk, KernelSU, or APatch that supports up to Android 16. So you need the latest stock boot, init_boot.img from the current OTA Firmware. After that, you can patch the init_boot.img Kernel using the Magisk, KernelSU APP, and flashing on your device.
Rooting Pros and Cons
After rooting the Nothing Phone 3 phone, you can mod your device, but before starting the guide, do a complete backup. One thing to note is that the warranty will be void after rooting the device. Here are some Rooting benefits: you can remove stock bloatware and System Apps after rooting the device. Changing the fonts and themes, customising the phone by installing root apps, modding the device with Magisk module, and more. Also, you can hide root access on specified apps with the help of the Magisk systemless App. Let’s start the guide.
Pre-requisites
- Before starting the rooting process, do a complete backup; your device includes Apps, Contacts, Messages, Gallery files, and Internal Storage Files.
- Charge the device for interrupt installing.
- Make sure you have disabled fingerprint and lockscreen before rooting or installing OrangeFox.
- Install the Google Android Driver ⇒ Google USB Drivers for Windows
- Enable Developer Options, USB Debugging, and OEM Unlock to connect your device in ADB and fastboot mode.
- Bootloader Unlock Guide ⇒ Nothing Phone Bootloader guide
- Download the OrangeFox file, the Latest Magisk, and the ADB-Fastboot Tool. Read the Guide.
Download OrangeFox for Nothing Phone 3 Root Files, ADB Tool
- ADB & fastboot tool ⇒ LATEST MINIMAL ADB AND FASTBOOT TOOLS
- OrangeFox for Nothing Phone 3 ⇒ OrangeFox-R11.3-Stable-Metroid.img | Flashble Zip Version
- Root Files ⇒ Latest Magisk or KernelSU
- Extract init_boot.img from OTA Firmware using Payload.bin extractor| Or download from nothing_archive ⇒ Metroid Ota Archive
- Go to the nothing_archive page, find your firmware OTA Version, click Assets, and download the image-boot.7z file.
How To Root Nothing Phone 3 with Magisk
- Download the latest Magsik or KernelSU Copy files to internal storage or SD Card and install on your device.
- Extract the Nothing Phone 3 init_boot.img file from your device’s Metroid firmware archive.
- Copy the boot or init_boot.img to your device download folder and open the Magisk app or KernelSU, any of the rooting apps.
- Tap on the Install button at the top, select init_boot.img, and the app will patch and enable SU on the boot file.
- Rename the patched image to magisk_patched.img for magisk and ksu_patched.img for KernelSU.
- The patched boot will be located at /storage/emulated/0/Download/magisk_patched.img.
- Download the latest ADB fastboot tool and unzip it on your PC C:\ Drive.
- Copy the magisk_patched.img or ksu_patched.img to your pc platform-tools folder
- Open CMD on your PC and type cd C:\platform-tools and hit enter.
- Turn your device into fastboot Mode with the “adb reboot bootloader” command, or switch off your phone and Hold Volume Up + Down and insert the USB cable.
- Flash the patched boot image by using the command.
- fastboot flash init_boot magisk_patched.img
- for KernelSU
- fastboot flash init_boot ksu_patched.img
- Reboot the device manually or type “fastboot reboot” to reboot the device.
- Open the Magisk app and verify root access and Play Integrity.
After rooting the Nothing Phone 3, make sure Play Integrity is passed on your device, or follow the guide to Play Integrity PASS and Fix Banking App Root Detection for – MAGISK Play Integrity PASS | Play Integrity PASS on KernelSU.
How To Install OrangeFox Recovery On Nothing Phone 3
1. First, read the Prerequisites, unlock the bootloader, download ADB & fastboot, and OrangeFox Recovery.
2. Download the OrangeFox and rename it to recovery.img.
3. Connect your device to the pc and copy the OrangeFox file to the ADB & fastboot folder.
4. Now open the command prompt and navigate to the ADB & fastboot folder by typing cd C:\platform-tools and hitting enter.
5. Turn off your phone, hold the Volume Down button, insert the USB cable, and connect to the PC, or use the adb command to reboot into fastboot.
adb reboot bootloader6. This command will install recovery on the Nothing Phone 3 phone permanently.
fastboot flash recovery recovery.img7. Use this command to install the recovery in both slots for OTA updates.
fastboot flash recovery_a recovery.img
fastboot flash recovery_b recovery.img8. You can boot OrangeFox Recovery with this command.
fastboot boot recovery.img
Here are Some Mods you can install after rooting your device ➞ Dolby Atmos Module |Google Camera | HyperOS Camera | Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 DNS | Top Magisk Modules
Final Thoughts
Rooting the Nothing Phone 3 using either Magisk or KernelSU, and installing OrangeFox Recovery will allow you to customize your device to a much higher level of detail. Using this method allows for the installation of Magisk Modules, Custom ROMS, Advanced Backups, etc.
However, once rooted, your warranty will be voided. Also, OTA (Over-the-air) Updates may not function properly as well as some Banking Apps may have issues due to the configuration of Play Integrity, unless the user configures the app in order to utilize their banking services. Please take all necessary precautions prior to proceeding; i.e., create a full backup of your data and only use images that are specific to your exact firmware version.
