[Tutorial] How to use Qualcomm Flash Image Loader (QFIL)

[hovatek]

This is a step-by-step guide on how to use Qualcomm Flash Image Loader (QFIL) to flash stock rom / firmware to Qualcomm smartphones and tablets. QPST contains this and other tools. QFIL is chip-specific so it will only work on Qualcomm devices, not Mediatek, Spreadtrum, Intel etc. It enables you flash Qualcomm CPU without a box or dongle.

Requirements

• Download and Install Qualcomm USB drivers
  
• Firmware  / stock rom you wish to flash
  
• Download QPST and install or QFIL Standalone
  
• Boot the device into Emergency Download Mode / EDL Mode (hold volume up + down button while off)
  
• PC
  
• USB cable
  

How to use QFIL

Follow the steps below to flash firmware to Qualcomm Android devices using Qualcomm Flash Image Loader (QFIL)

See the video tutorial below or at https://youtu.be/W9Cz4LwAzLg

1. Launch QFIL
   
   
   
   
2. Connect the device to the PC while in EDL Mode (device should be in EDL before connecting to pc). No Port Available should change to Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader 9008
   
   
   
   
3. Under Select Build Type, tick Flat Build
   
   
   
   
4. Under Select Programmer, click Browse
   
   
   
   
5. In the Window that pops up, highlight the loader file (usually named prog_emmc_firehose_****.mbn) and click Open
   
   
   
   
6. Click Load XML
   
   
   
   
7. In the Window that pops up, highlight the rawprogram() file then click Open
   
   
   
   
8. Another Window will automatically pop up, highlight the patch() file then click Open
   
   
   
   
9. Click Download
   
   
   
   
10. QFIL should start flashing the firmware, Do Not interrupt
    
    
    
    
11. You should get Download Succeed Finish Download once QFIL has successfully flashed the firmware. Disconnect the device and boot up
    
    
    

Important notes

• Some Qualcomm firmware do not contain programmer files (prog_emmc_firehose_****.mbn). While its best you use a firmware which includes a programmer file, you can (in severe cases) use the programmer file for a Qualcomm phone with the same chipset as yours.  If you get the Sahara Fail error then try a different programmer file
  
• If you can, try to backup your phone's QCN / EFS partition before flashing any rom (whether stock or custom). Some roms / tools wipe or corrupt your EFS / QCN partition resulting in Null or Invalid IMEI, Baseband, Serial Number etc. These would result in your phone being unable to detect your SIM card's network
  
• You can decide to connect the phone in Emergency Download (EDL) mode at the very beginning or just before flashing  but note that the Download button will not be clickable till all the required files are loaded.
  
• If you still have No Port Available after connecting the phone then its either the phone isn't in EDL mode or you've not installed drivers for the phone
  
• The exact button combo for booting into EDL mode varies across Qualcomm devices so ensure to run a search around booting your model into EDL
  
• Do Not interrupt QFIL during flashing (till the flashing process is completed) or force-flash an incompatible firmware (bootloader) as this could result in a hard brick which would then require a USB Jig or JTAG to force the phone into Download Mode.
  
• QFIL will only flash a firmware which is in Flat Build or Meta Build format. If your firmware is an OTA update.zip or in any flashable zip format then QFIL is not suited to flash firmware
  
• QFIL's default storage type for flashing is EMMC (you can tell your storage type from the file name of the programmer file). If your Qualcomm device uses UFS or SPINOR then ensure to set this under Configuration > FireHose Configuration > Device Type
  
• This tool is specifically for the Qualcomm chipset so the firmware should contain the mbn file, program files qualcomm qpst bin
  
• QPST is owned by Qualcomm Technologies Incorporated so credits to them for this tool
  

Video Transcript

In this video tutorial, I'll be explaining how to flash a Qualcomm Android device using Qualcomm Flash Image Loader or QFIL. In order to use QFIL, you need to have installed QPST. You also need to have installed your Qualcomm USB drivers. We have a guide on how to do that and of course you need to have the firmware which you intend to flash usually in this format.

Now, once you have all these in place, the next thing you'll want to do is to launch QFIL so I'll do that by searching for QFIL. If you have a desktop shortcut you could also launch the shortcut and wait for the QFIL dashboard to come up. Alright! Great! So I have this here. Now, I have no port available so I need to connect the device in EDL Mode. Now, for this particular device, to boot into EDL, I power off the device still with battery inside, hold both volume buttons then connect it to the PC via the USB cord.

Alright! So that changes No Port Available to Qualcomm HS-USB QDLoader. Now, the next thing you'll want to do is to load the firmware which you intend to flash. The firmware I have here is a Flat Build so under the Select Build Type, I select Flat Build then I click on Browse. Now, in this Window that opens, what you'll want to do is to navigate to the location where you have the firmware folder and then you open that and select the loader file. its usually in this format and then click on Open.

The next thing you'll want to do is to click on Load XML. Still in the firmware folder, you select the raw program file and then click on Open and then another Window will automatically open. You select the patch() file and then click on Open. Alright! So everything we need to do is in place so the next thing you'll want to do is (still with the phone connected) you click on Download and that should start the flashing process. Now, to be sure that flashing has begun ,you are going to have a blue bar loading.

That is confirmation that we have flash in progress okay? Great! So we have the blue bar loading right there so it's very important you do not interrupt the process because if you interrupt the process that is going to cause your Qualcomm Android device to get bricked and then if you are lucky, you'll be able to revive it by retrying to flash it using QFIL and if you are unlucky, you have to find a way to get the bootloader for your particular device, flash the bootloader first before you talk about flashing the firmware and that could be a very tedious process so to just avoid going through that headache, do not interrupt this process okay?

Just sit back and QFIL do its thing. So I'm at 7.21% okay 23.47% now Okay, so we are 83.83% and flashing should be completing any moment from now still have to be patient , do not interrupt the process. Okay, flashing is rounding up right now. I should get a confirmation message anytime soon showing that flash was indeed complete and successful Alright! Download Succeed. I have i right here

Finished download so you can disconnect the device and power it up. If you get an error message asking you to reset the encryption data or encryption unsuccessful just reset the phone and that should make it boot up normally.

So that's how to flash a Qualcomm Android device using Qualcomm Flash Image Loader or QFIL