Can someone please help me. I have a mobile phone that is Huawei Honor 8C. It has android version 8. Most of the apps now support 9+ android. Can someone please guide me how I can install and updated ROM in it with complete guide?
Revive Your Honor 8C — Custom ROM + Root + Everything You Need.
One-Line Flow: Your old phone → Actually useful again → Running Android 13 → Middle finger to Huawei → You win.
What The Hell Is This About?
You know that Honor 8C sitting in your drawer? The one where half your apps say “sorry bro, Android 8 is too old”?
We’re about to perform surgery on it.
Not the scary kind. The kind where your phone wakes up running modern Android, all your apps work again, and Huawei has zero control over your device anymore.
Think of it like jailbreaking an iPhone, but for Android. Except we’re not just escaping — we’re moving into a whole new house.
Why Should You Give A Shit?
Let’s be real about what happens after this:
Apps actually install again — No more “device not compatible” bullshit
Phone feels faster — Stock Huawei software is bloated garbage. We’re replacing it.
No more Huawei spyware — Whatever they were collecting? Gone.
Updates forever — Community ROMs get updates way longer than Huawei ever bothered
That smug feeling — You just hacked your own phone. That’s cool as fuck.
“But I Don’t Know Anything About This Stuff”
Perfect. Neither did anyone else before they started.
Here’s the honest breakdown of what we’re doing:
| Step | What It Actually Means | Scary Level |
|---|---|---|
| Unlock bootloader | Telling Huawei to fuck off so we can modify things | Medium |
| Flash TWRP | Installing a special menu that lets us add new stuff | Easy |
| Install GSI ROM | Replacing the entire operating system with a better one | Easy once unlocked |
The hard part is step 1. Everything after that is basically “click this, wait, done.”
The One Annoying Part (Let’s Get It Over With)
Huawei locked these phones down in 2018 because they hate fun.
You need to unlock the bootloader first. This is like getting the key to your own house that the landlord refused to give you.
Three Ways To Get That Key (Easiest to Hardest)
Option 1: The Free Tools 
Download this: Huawei Unlock Tool
It might work. It might not. Depends on your exact phone version. Worth trying first because it’s free.
There’s also a Telegram group where people help each other: Join Here
Option 2: Pay Someone €19 
HCU Client — This is what phone repair shops use. Works on basically everything. You pay, you follow instructions, you’re done in 20 minutes.
Yeah it costs money. But it actually works. Sometimes that’s worth it.
Option 3: The “I Have Steady Hands” Method 
There’s a tiny point inside your phone you can touch with tweezers to force it into recovery mode. Sounds insane. Works perfectly.
Search “BKK-L21 testpoint” if you’re feeling brave. The 4PDA forum has pictures.
Quick Check Before You Start
Grab your phone. Go to:
Settings → System → About Phone
Look for “EMUI Version”
- EMUI 8 or 9? → You’re golden. Proceed.
- EMUI 10 or higher? → Small detour needed. You gotta downgrade first. Not hard, just extra steps.
How To Downgrade (If Needed)
- Download Firmware Finder app
- Find an older EMUI 9 version for your exact model
- Use HiSuite Proxy to force install it
It’s basically “download old version, trick phone into accepting it.” Takes maybe 30 minutes.
The Fun Part: Picking Your New Operating System
Once that bootloader is unlocked, you get to choose what your phone becomes.
Best option for most people: Andy Yan’s LineageOS builds
It’s clean, fast, gets updates, and just works. Download the one that says arm64 and aonly in the name.
Other options exist if you wanna go crazy:
- Pixel Experience (makes it feel like a Google phone)
- DotOS (pretty and customizable)
- Resurrection Remix (for the tweakers)
All free. All community made. All better than what Huawei gave you.
Where To Get Everything
Your Shopping List (All Free Downloads)
Stock Firmware (backup/recovery):
- 4PDA Thread — Russian site, use Google Translate, best collection
- HuaweiStockROM — Clean and organized
Custom Recovery (TWRP):
- Grab it from the 4PDA thread above — they have a tested version
GSI ROMs:
- Andy Yan — Most reliable
- phhusson’s builds — The original project
Tools:
- Huawei Update Extractor — Opens Huawei firmware files
- Firmware Finder — Finds any firmware version
“What If I Brick My Phone?”
Here’s the beautiful thing about this specific phone:
It has a Qualcomm chip inside.
That means even if you fuck up completely — black screen, won’t turn on, looks dead — there’s a recovery mode built into the hardware that CANNOT be deleted.
Plug it into a computer the right way, flash the stock firmware, phone comes back to life. Every time.
Emergency Recovery Steps
- Phone won’t turn on? Don’t panic.
- Hold power for 30 seconds. Let go.
- Hold Volume Down + Power while plugging into PC
- Computer sees “Qualcomm 9008” device
- Use QFIL tool to flash stock firmware
- Phone lives again
You literally cannot permanently kill this phone unless you try REALLY hard (like flashing completely wrong firmware for a different phone model).
Secret Menus Already On Your Phone
Before you do anything, try these codes in your dialer:
| Type This | What Happens |
|---|---|
*#*#2846579#*#* |
Hidden project menu — lets you update via SD card |
*#06# |
Shows your IMEI — write this down before modding |
*#*#6130#*#* |
Testing menu with network info |
*#*#64663#*#* |
Engineering mode — battery stats, hardware tests |
These work right now. No mods needed. Just fun hidden shit Huawei didn’t tell you about.
Where To Get Help
You’re not alone in this:
- 4PDA Honor 8C Discussion — Massive Russian community, very active, Google Translate works fine
- Huawei Unlock Telegram — Real humans helping with bootloader stuff
- Ministry of Solutions Guide — Step-by-step walkthrough with screenshots
Summary — The Whole Process
- Check your EMUI version — Need 8 or 9
- Unlock bootloader — Try free tool first, pay €19 if it fails
- Install TWRP — One command, takes 30 seconds
- Flash new ROM — Pick one, install, reboot
- Enjoy your “new” phone — Runs modern Android, apps work, no bloatware
Total time: 1-2 hours if everything goes smooth. Maybe a weekend if you hit issues and need forum help.
Final Thoughts
Look, Huawei made it annoying on purpose. They don’t want you doing this. That’s exactly why it feels so good when you do.
Your 2018 phone running Android 13? That’s not supposed to happen. But here we are.
The hardest part is deciding to start. Everything else is just following instructions and waiting for progress bars.
Go resurrect that phone. 
Hi! Astrid. I will try this and let you know if needed any more help. Thank you.
!