How to Root ZTE Nubia Z11 and Install TWRP Recovery

Over the past few years, Nubia has gradually emerged from its parent company ZTE and made its own mark in the smartphone industry. Nubia’s new flagship model, the Z11, has generally been well received, starting from the stylish packaging, premium accessories, to the phone’s distinctive curved display and bezel-less front. Some key specs are given below:

In this article, we will describe how to root Nubia Z11, both the 4 GB and 6GB RAM variants. All credit goes to XDA Senior member 2727alex2727.

Prerequisites

• Download the zip file to your computer from this Z11_NX531J_TWRP_3.0.2.0.zip and extract the contents in a suitable location.
• In your phone, enable developer options. (Open Settings, About Phone, then tap Build number 7 times)
• On your phone dial pad, type *#7678# and enable all the options.
• In developer options, enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlock.
• Make sure all USB drivers are installed for your phone.
• Charge your device (at least 80% is recommended).
• Backup all your important data in your PC or SD Card.

Installing TWRP on ZTE Nubia Z11

• Connect your device to your PC in charging mode.
• Run the .exe file on your PC. The writings are all in Chinese, so just follow our instructions
• Press 1 and hit Enter. This will install the required Android USB Drivers on your PC.
• Press 2 and hit Enter. This will install TWRP in your device. Your phone should then reboot in recovery mode.

Root ZTE Nubia Z11

• Boot into Recovery mode (after switching off your device press Power and Volume Up for a few seconds)
• Select Advanced
• Open Stalence Tools
• Select Root

Installing Xposed Framework on Nubia Z11

1. Download xposed-v85-sdk23-arm64-nubiaUI-edition and place them in the root directory of SD card.
2. Install Xposed_3.0alpha4_dvdandroid.apk.
3. Boot into the recovery mode.
4. Select Install.
5. Select the zip file. Swipe the slider to the right to flash.
6. Select Wipe dalvik cache
7. Reboot

Installing Gapps on Nubia Z11

Many custom ROMs don’t come with inbuilt Google apps. Apart from other reasons, this reduces the size of the package significantly. Under such circumstances, you can separately flash GApps to continue enjoying Google Services.

These are the steps:

1. Download GApps from the provided link (GApps downloaded from opengapps.org might not work).
2. Save the file in your SD Card.
3. In your phone, open Settings> About Phone> System Updates.
4. Open the Overlay Menu by tapping on the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
5. Select local update, and select the file from SD Card.
6. Once the files are flashed via TWRP and the phone has rebooted, go to Settings, Apps and grant these apps all available permissions:

• Google Account Manager
• Google Backup Transport
• Google Services Framework
• Google Play Store
• Google Play Services

7. Restart your device.
8. Download the following apps to sync contacts and calendars from your Google account:

• GoogleCalendarSyncAdapter.apk
• GoogleContactsSyncAdapter.apk

9. You must go to Settings> Apps and grant all permissions to these apps as well.

Installing BusyBox

Once rooted, you might want to install BusyBox on your phone. BusyBox is a small utility containing various command line tools, and many root applications will need these tools to function properly. Installing BusyBox is relatively simple:

1. Download Busybox_1.24.2_signed.zip and place it on your SD Card.
2. Open TWRP, and flash the zip file.
3. Reboot.

Installing Viper4Android

Viper4Android is a custom audio driver for Android devices. It delivers a superior audio experience and a wide range of equalizer settings to choose from. Another useful feature is the ability to download and install IRS (Impulse Response Samples) allowing it to mimic popular sound engines like Sony Walkman or Dolby.

Steps to install Viper4Android in Nubia Z11:

1. Make sure BusyBox is installed in your device.
2. Download the files from this link.
3. Place the contents in your SD Card.
4. Open TWRP, Select Install.
5. Flash selinux2permissive_signed.zip.
6. Wipe dalvik cache and reboot.
7. Install the viper4android apk file.

That’s it, you’re all set! To use the IRS files, you must disable beginner’s mode and enable Convolver from Viper4Android settings. Then create the following path in your SD Card: Storage/Emulated/0/ViPER4Andriod/Kernel.

Save all your .irs files in this location.