[Q] Accidentally bricked Nexus...I think... - Nexus 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi all, first post to the forums so forgive me if I'm forgetting some sort of forum etiquette.
My brother's Nexus 5 stopped working a while ago, it'd just go straight to the Google screen on start up and sit there indefinitely. Recovery mode? Non-existent. I could get into the bootloader easy as, but selecting recovery mode just resulted in a black screen that would not accept any commands. So since I've reflashed my own Nexus 5 with various flavours of Android before I decided to just reflash his too, as I figured there's no reason that shouldn't work.
500 attempts later and uh, yeah, I don't think it's working.
I've tried installing the official versions of 4.3, 4.4, and 5.0, but Fastboot results in "failure to write" errors. I even tried sideloading with TWRP and Clockwork, but both of those give me error messages saying failure to mount /cache or /recovery or whatever.
I've spent an entire day (that should have been spent working on certain assignments :s) trying to fix this and looking around forums for a solution yet can't seem to find anything.
If anyone has any idea on how to fix this it would be greatly appreciated, I'm not too sure Google would honor the warranty on this anymore...

D0UBLEJUMP said:
Hi all, first post to the forums so forgive me if I'm forgetting some sort of forum etiquette.
My brother's Nexus 5 stopped working a while ago, it'd just go straight to the Google screen on start up and sit there indefinitely. Recovery mode? Non-existent. I could get into the bootloader easy as, but selecting recovery mode just resulted in a black screen that would not accept any commands. So since I've reflashed my own Nexus 5 with various flavours of Android before I decided to just reflash his too, as I figured there's no reason that shouldn't work.
500 attempts later and uh, yeah, I don't think it's working.
I've tried installing the official versions of 4.3, 4.4, and 5.0, but Fastboot results in "failure to write" errors. I even tried sideloading with TWRP and Clockwork, but both of those give me error messages saying failure to mount /cache or /recovery or whatever.
I've spent an entire day (that should have been spent working on certain assignments :s) trying to fix this and looking around forums for a solution yet can't seem to find anything.
If anyone has any idea on how to fix this it would be greatly appreciated, I'm not too sure Google would honor the warranty on this anymore...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is your bootloader unlocked?
Are you getting the images from here, and following all the instructions: https://developers.google.com/android/nexus/images

krs360 said:
Is your bootloader unlocked?
Are you getting the images from here, and following all the instructions
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, yes and yes.
Like I said, everything went fine with reflashing my own Nexus 5, but my brother's one is just being so, so, so uncooperative.

D0UBLEJUMP said:
Yes, yes and yes.
Like I said, everything went fine with reflashing my own Nexus 5, but my brother's one is just being so, so, so uncooperative.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try locking the bootloader in fastoot. Reboot to bootloader. If the bootloader still says unlocked you have a bad emmc chip.

theesotericone said:
Try locking the bootloader in fastoot. Reboot to bootloader. If the bootloader still says unlocked you have a bad emmc chip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader always relocks when the phone restarts :/

It's a hardware error, a bad emmc chip. Your only choice is to exchange it under the warranty.

BirchBarlow said:
It's a hardware error, a bad emmc chip. Your only choice is to exchange it under the warranty.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you know if Google will still exchange it? It's within the warranty period, but I have been reflashing it and unlocking the bootloader which I doubt they're too excited about. Or is this a sort of special case since it's a hardware error?

D0UBLEJUMP said:
Do you know if Google will still exchange it? It's within the warranty period, but I have been reflashing it and unlocking the bootloader which I doubt they're too excited about. Or is this a sort of special case since it's a hardware error?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if your emmc is corrupt i don't think they will be able to find out you have been messing with your device and if your bootloader is locked that should do fine. Only thing that i'm not able to confirm is about the tamper flag

nexus.freak said:
if your emmc is corrupt i don't think they will be able to find out you have been messing with your device and if your bootloader is locked that should do fine. Only thing that i'm not able to confirm is about the tamper flag
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I believe you can reset the tamper flag with a bit of luck by booting twrp from fastboot ( fastboot boot twrp.img ) then sideload and flash the tamper resetter.
That being said , anyone know what's the incidence of bad emmc chips on our devices ? And/or if there's a trigger to them ?

Niflheimer said:
I believe you can reset the tamper flag with a bit of luck by booting twrp from fastboot ( fastboot boot twrp.img ) then sideload and flash the tamper resetter.
That being said , anyone know what's the incidence of bad emmc chips on our devices ? And/or if there's a trigger to them ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woohoo! Flag reset!
Judging by what I found when I was looking around it doesn't seem like bad emmc is too common, couldn't find many suffering the same issues as me.
As for triggers, my brother's Nexus worked completely fine just like mine, then powered off, powered on, and broken. So...I guess the message of the story is to never turn them off (or try reflash) and they'll be fine?

If you bought phone of play store you can send it to google, there was a tread here some time ago and it said that google accept to replace phones with temper flag and unlocked bootloader.
Good luck

Related

[Q] NEXUS 5 BRICKED TRYING TO ROOT WITH CF AutoRoot. HELP!?

Hi all
A bit new to posting in here but am really hoping to receive some help from you all. Last night I installed all the standard USB drivers i.e. Android SDK pack and followed them all as mentioned. Then using the root tool from ChainFire I got to the little android guy after going through the process of unlocking the bootloader and gaining root, but the phone never actually rebooted.
Now when I try to flash the original fastboot files using the WUG kit I get "FAILED: remote: flash write failure" The same is the case with writing the boot img and recovery img. See attached.
I can put the phone into Fastboot mode only and it says lock state is "unlocked" but it would seem that I can no longer write anything to the internal disk as nothing will work or boot. I also get a status on my PC saying that the driver QHSUSB_Bulk could not be found.
Has anybody had a similar problem to this? Is there any way to somehow get this working again? And if I RMA with Google will they say my warranty is voided now that it says the lock state in Fastboot is unlocked?
Many thanks in advance guys any help is appreciated.
Meakii said:
Hi all
A bit new to posting in here but am really hoping to receive some help from you all. Last night I installed all the standard USB drivers i.e. Android SDK pack and followed them all as mentioned. Then using the root tool from ChainFire I got to the little android guy after going through the process of unlocking the bootloader and gaining root, but the phone never actually rebooted.
Now when I try to flash the original fastboot files using the WUG kit I get "FAILED: remote: flash write failure" The same is the case with writing the boot img and recovery img. See attached.
I can put the phone into Fastboot mode only and it says lock state is "unlocked" but it would seem that I can no longer write anything to the internal disk as nothing will work or boot. I also get a status on my PC saying that the driver QHSUSB_Bulk could not be found.
Has anybody had a similar problem to this? Is there any way to somehow get this working again? And if I RMA with Google will they say my warranty is voided now that it says the lock state in Fastboot is unlocked?
Many thanks in advance guys any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try flashing the factory images manually.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513701
Method 2.
Does fastboot work properly? What output does 'Fastboot devices" have?
abaaaabbbb63 said:
Try flashing the factory images manually.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513701
Method 2.
Does fastboot work properly? What output does 'Fastboot devices" have?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks have tried flashing them manually but still the same error saying FAILED: remote: flash write failure
It as if nothing can be written to the phone at all.
Yea fastboot seems to work fine but sorry what do you mean by what ouput does fastboot devices have?
Thanks a lot
Meakii said:
Thanks have tried flashing them manually but still the same error saying FAILED: remote: flash write failure
It as if nothing can be written to the phone at all.
Yea fastboot seems to work fine but sorry what do you mean by what ouput does fastboot devices have?
Thanks a lot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
write "Fastboot devices" in CMD while phone is in fastboot.
What happens when you boot in recovery? Try that, and do a factory data reset.
abaaaabbbb63 said:
write "Fastboot devices" in CMD while phone is in fastboot.
What happens when you boot in recovery? Try that, and do a factory data reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok see attached. Also it doesn't allow me to boot into recovery at all. I used the WUG kit to temporarily boot into TWRP and tried a factory reset there but it says there's no ROM installed. It's like everything has been wiped and it can't write anything to the internals to read from. Thanks for you help so far. Any other suggestions?
Meakii said:
Ok see attached. Also it doesn't allow me to boot into recovery at all. I used the WUG kit to temporarily boot into TWRP and tried a factory reset there but it says there's no ROM installed. It's like everything has been wiped and it can't write anything to the internals to read from. Thanks for you help so far. Any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just... stop using toolkits for a second here! These automated processes got you here in the first place.
Try this command:
fastboot erase userdata
Does it succeed?
abaaaabbbb63 said:
Just... stop using toolkits for a second here! These automated processes got you here in the first place.
Try this command:
fastboot erase userdata
Does it succeed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok ummm see attached. I'm so gutted any further thoughts or advice?
Meakii said:
Ok ummm see attached. I'm so gutted any further thoughts or advice?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems like a brick. Something got corrupted. I searched far an wide on XDA and other forums, but no one with this problem has found the solution.
It seems that your last chance is RMA.
abaaaabbbb63 said:
It seems like a brick. Your internal memory got corrupted. I searched far an wide on XDA and other forums, but no one with this problem has found the solution.
It seems that your last chance is RMA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok thanks for your help. How this happens simply rooting a device following step by step instructions having rooted many devices before I'll never know. There was no interrruptions or reasons for this to have happened. Do you think they will take one look at it and say warranty is voided?
Meakii said:
Ok thanks for your help. How this happens simply rooting a device following step by step instructions having rooted many devices before I'll never know. There was no interrruptions or reasons for this to have happened. Do you think they will take one look at it and say warranty is voided?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who knows? Try it!
I don´t think the reason was CF-auto root. There must be something wrong with the device´s flash from the beginning. My thoughts are that you´r flash has a corrupted area which surprisingly wasn´t used for the stock factory flash and CF-autoroot triggered it while flashing a specific partition. Maybe i´m completely wrong.
I hope you´ll get it exchanged :good:.
Meakii said:
Ok thanks for your help. How this happens simply rooting a device following step by step instructions having rooted many devices before I'll never know. There was no interrruptions or reasons for this to have happened. Do you think they will take one look at it and say warranty is voided?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't really know what happened. I guess there are always risks when using tools like this. That's why I always recommend rooting using the manual method.
I have no idea how google will react. In theory, a simple unlocked bootloader won't affect warranty. In reality, anything can happen. Good luck, and sorry!
Meakii said:
Ok thanks for your help. How this happens simply rooting a device following step by step instructions having rooted many devices before I'll never know. There was no interrruptions or reasons for this to have happened. Do you think they will take one look at it and say warranty is voided?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a mystery indeed, it might not be CF but best way is to stay away from toolkits and do it manually.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507905
Does it respond to anything?
Will it turn on but just get stuck?
If it won't respond to anything at all then I doubt Google would say the warranty is void. They probably wouldn't know since it's dead.
abaaaabbbb63 said:
I don't really know what happened. I guess there are always risks when using tools like this. That's why I always recommend rooting using the manual method.
I have no idea how google will react. In theory, a simple unlocked bootloader won't affect warranty. In reality, anything can happen. Good luck, and sorry!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely gutted but thanks so much for your help. I'll report back with Googles response.
pert_S said:
It's a mystery indeed, it might not be CF but best way is to stay away from toolkits and do it manually.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507905
Does it respond to anything?
Will it turn on but just get stuck?
If it won't respond to anything at all then I doubt Google would say the warranty is void. They probably wouldn't know since it's dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will respond, but the memory won't flash. Major no-fix problem.
pert_S said:
It's a mystery indeed, it might not be CF but best way is to stay away from toolkits and do it manually.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2507905
Does it respond to anything?
Will it turn on but just get stuck?
If it won't respond to anything at all then I doubt Google would say the warranty is void. They probably wouldn't know since it's dead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi nah it only boots into Fastboot mode where it says down the bottom in red "LOCK STATE - unlocked" . Have tried every trick posted on here but it seems that during the rooting process somehow corrupted internal storage meaning it can't write anything to the phone (therefore not being able to reset to factory etc etc).
What a disaster.
Would opening the command prompt window with administrative rights make a difference? Worth a shot.
Meakii said:
Hi nah it only boots into Fastboot mode where it says down the bottom in red "LOCK STATE - unlocked" . Have tried every trick posted on here but it seems that during the rooting process somehow corrupted internal storage meaning it can't write anything to the phone (therefore not being able to reset to factory etc etc).
What a disaster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh I see.
Well like abaaaabbbb63 said, in theory it shouldn't affect warranty.
They would have to show that unlocking the bootloader caused the fault I presume.
Make sure you tell Google that this happened when using a toolkit and a script when asking for a new phone free of charge.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
El Daddy said:
Make sure you tell Google that this happened when using a toolkit and a script when asking for a new phone free of charge.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How would that help? I think pleading ignorance to how it happened would probably be best wouldn't it?
Thanks for all the replies.
It's sarcasm friend. ;3. Daddy isn't a fan of toolkits nor of people claiming new handsets after a problem occurs as a result of one.

Nexus 5 won't prompt for decrypt on boot / TWRP fails to decrypt

So I think I am screwed here but was wondering if anyone has run into similar issue. I was running SlimKat and had the data encrypted and I used BootUnlocker to relock the bootloader after I flashed TWRP a few months back. Been working fine for a couple weeks then yesterday I pull my phone out my pocket and it looks like it factory reset prompting to input all my info. So I reboot the phone thinking could be fluke and it doesnt prompt me for decyption password and again boots to setup screen. If you do login you cannot access the internal storage and there is no data connection. So I rebooted into TWRP and it prompts for decryption password only its not working. If I put in wrong password it comes back immediately that it failed. If I try correct password it tries for 30 - 45 seconds then comes back with failed. So tried downloading factory image and flash with fasboot but was complaining about bootloader locked. So I issued fastboot oem unlock and choose yes the screen switches to unlocked but doesnt wipe anything try to flash again and I get FAILED flash write failure. When I reboot to the bootloader it shows as locked again. I think my flash took a crap. Anyone have any ideas?
I bought my N5 used....and guess what, it was encrypted. And i didn't know it.
Well after a series of unfortunate events, LOL, I found this.....it worked for me when I thought my brand new (new to me) N5 was bricked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513937
Sent from my cell phone telephone....
since its been possible to encrypt with android, it has cause everyone issues, eventually. with as many people that ive known that have encrypted, every single one of them has had issues, eventually. eventually because it usually doesnt happen right away, but somewhere down the line. i constantly tell people not to encrypt, that they will have an issue later.
sounds like you will be flashing the factory img at some point.
kj2112 said:
I bought my N5 used....and guess what, it was encrypted. And i didn't know it.
Well after a series of unfortunate events, LOL, I found this.....it worked for me when I thought my brand new (new to me) N5 was bricked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2513937
Sent from my cell phone telephone....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that doesnt work due to the locked boot loader. Issuing fasboot oem unlock doesn't actually unlock it.
simms22 said:
since its been possible to encrypt with android, it has cause everyone issues, eventually. with as many people that ive known that have encrypted, every single one of them has had issues, eventually. eventually because it usually doesnt happen right away, but somewhere down the line. i constantly tell people not to encrypt, that they will have an issue later.
sounds like you will be flashing the factory img at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, I've been trying to flash a factory img but I can't due to the locked bootloader and issuing fasboot oem unlock won't unlock it.
what do you mean doesnt unlock it?
prestonr83 said:
Yea, I've been trying to flash a factory img but I can't due to the locked bootloader and issuing fasboot oem unlock won't unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
very odd!
youre device is seen by fastboot(not adb)?
prestonr83 said:
Tried that doesnt work due to the locked boot loader. Issuing fasboot oem unlock doesn't actually unlock it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a good point.
I'm afraid that if you cant flash the stock image, and you can't unlock the bootloader to try other methods....you may be at an impass.
You need to either get the stock image back on. Or unlock the bootloader, Then try my link. Not sure what else can be done here.
Sent from my cell phone telephone....
---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:01 PM ----------
Oh....and again.....you may have driver issues on the pc, and that's why fastboot isn't seeing the phone. That is the first thing that needs to be corrected.
Sent from my cell phone telephone....
Zepius said:
what do you mean doesnt unlock it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean i put it in fastboot issue fastboot oem unlock it prompts me on the phone to choose yes or no. I choose yes it then immediately goes back to fastboot screen and shows unlocked. However when trying to flash anything it fails and upon rebooting back into fastboot it again shows as locked.
Your emmc is dead. RMA it
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
simms22 said:
very odd!
youre device is seen by fastboot(not adb)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes fastboot is reading the phone. but issuing fastboot oem unlock doesn't actually unlock it. I tried fastboot boot recovery.img to get into stock recovery to see if it would let me do factory reset however after booting into stock recovery I am unable to get the menu to pop up to allow me to factory reset.
prestonr83 said:
yes fastboot is reading the phone. but issuing fastboot oem unlock doesn't actually unlock it. I tried fastboot boot recovery.img to get into stock recovery to see if it would let me do factory reset however after booting into stock recovery I am unable to get the menu to pop up to allow me to factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you tried flashing clockworkmod recovery and factory resetting it there?
simms22 said:
since its been possible to encrypt with android, it has cause everyone issues, eventually. with as many people that ive known that have encrypted, every single one of them has had issues, eventually. eventually because it usually doesnt happen right away, but somewhere down the line. i constantly tell people not to encrypt, that they will have an issue later.
sounds like you will be flashing the factory img at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Advice I would really have to disagree with as it is a built in security measure; telling people to avoid using proven security methods is sketchy in itself. I had my Nexus 4 encrypted for the last 4 months and had never had any issues. What issues are you talking about?
Encryption slows the device down... We all know that. Also, if by chance someone forgets their pw (yes... Seen it happen plenty) you lose al your stuff to get back in.
Anyway, to each their own... But I'm not important enough to worry about what's on my phone getting into the wrong hands. ?

stuck on google logo, nothing can be done!. Bricked?

http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/7ebe08a2b2e135ea.html
http://forum.android.com.pl/attachment.php?attachmentid=95985&d=1413954853
http://forum.android.com.pl/attachment.php?attachmentid=95987&d=1413958300
http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/d08020e375678c25.html
please help. Do RMA repair motherboard? is a way to repair this phone? can lock the bootloader and clean templar flag through fastboot??
Link 2 and 3 don't work.
Please write full description of problem here. Do not link to external sources as we probably wont read them
I see from link 1 you're using Wugfresh to flash stock. Most of us discourage use of toolkits, particularly when flashign stock is so easy.
Please click the link in my signature and read 2 threads. The adb and fastboot thread and the return to stock thread.
If you get the same error doing things properly, your NAND is fried and needs to be sent for repair. That is usually what "write failure" means. However since you are using toolkit, I cannot say that the error is genuine or not... So please use fastboot to flash stock
http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/6ffdde1cca5a3865.html
up
tuningsea said:
http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/6ffdde1cca5a3865.html
up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately, it looks like the emmc is toast. You'll need to send it in for repairs. Contact Google if you've bought from the playstore. Bought from a retailer? Contact LG.
Good Luck!
I bought the LG. If I have unlocked bootloader + root means that for the repairs I have to pay?
Did you flash something recently? Because EMMC failure can be if you flash something not for your device (e.g kernel,rom and etc) or did got wet or fallen down? Or it's just happened out of sudden?
It happened suddenly, even I do not know how. I used a flashlight for 30 minutes the phone is restarted and died. I can enter fastboot mode only
tuningsea said:
I bought the LG. If I have unlocked bootloader + root means that for the repairs I have to pay?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your warranty falls under LG, you might need to pay up since the bootloader is unlocked. Try to lock the bootloader and reset the tamper flag if you can.
Follow the last part of this tutorial:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/general/tutorial-how-to-flash-factory-image-t2513701
"fastboot boot path / to / TWRP.img" and stands on the logo teamwin. nothing can be done
http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/ac67c81c2b162108.html
Motherboard die? whether it is for sure the motherboard?
tuningsea said:
http://www.fotosik.pl/pokaz_obrazek/pelny/ac67c81c2b162108.html
Motherboard die? whether it is for sure the motherboard?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You cannot write the bootloader, which means teh device (NAND Chip) that you are writing to is likely failed. This is in turn attached to the motherboard, so yes - probably needs a new Motherboard. Probably.
GOD
tuningsea said:
It happened suddenly, even I do not know how. I used a flashlight for 30 minutes the phone is restarted and died. I can enter fastboot mode only
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How hot was the phone when it happened? I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the phones overheating (for some reason, like too high thermal throttling - remember the Xbox RROD)?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/stuck-google-boot-screen-fix-flashing-t2910842
Look at my thread
AndreIrawan97 said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/google-nexus-5/help/stuck-google-boot-screen-fix-flashing-t2910842
Look at my thread
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do not think you have read THIS thread.

VZN locked, Pixel stuck at bootloader, recovery mode fails -- what now?

Hi all,
I have an OG Verizon Pixel that's now stuck at the bootloader. I haven't done any unlocking or ROM modifications. It was stock 8.1 and it broke pretty close to the January update.
Recovery mode says "Failed to boot to recovery mode".
Starting from the bootloader just loads back into it, but the screen gets off-centered (I can attach pics if it helps).
When the phone was working, I'd never done any of the in-OS tools to start the bootloader unlocking process. I'm not really sure what I should be trying, but nothing I have tried from fastboot seems to work because it's locked. I feel if I could reimage it all, maybe it would work again, but it doesn't look like I have that kind of access.
Verizon's only option was $150 to replace it out of warranty (and then only provided a 90-day warranty). I declined that and got a Pixel 2, but now I have the old phone. Is there anything I can do with it? Or is it just junk?
Thanks,
TBK
TromboneKenny said:
Hi all,
I have an OG Verizon Pixel that's now stuck at the bootloader. I haven't done any unlocking or ROM modifications. It was stock 8.1 and it broke pretty close to the January update.
Recovery mode says "Failed to boot to recovery mode".
Starting from the bootloader just loads back into it, but the screen gets off-centered (I can attach pics if it helps).
When the phone was working, I'd never done any of the in-OS tools to start the bootloader unlocking process. I'm not really sure what I should be trying, but nothing I have tried from fastboot seems to work because it's locked. I feel if I could reimage it all, maybe it would work again, but it doesn't look like I have that kind of access.
Verizon's only option was $150 to replace it out of warranty (and then only provided a 90-day warranty). I declined that and got a Pixel 2, but now I have the old phone. Is there anything I can do with it? Or is it just junk?
Thanks,
TBK
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try reflashing the same factory image ur on
If the bootloader isn't unlocked it is probably bricked. With an unlocked bootloader you could reflash a factory image and get it working but you cant do that with a locked bootloader.
shagbag913 said:
If the bootloader isn't unlocked it is probably bricked. With an unlocked bootloader you could reflash a factory image and get it working but you cant do that with a locked bootloader.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I could be wrong but I think u might be able to sideload like an Oreo preview build without bl unlock, idr though but yeah tl:;dw: your device is likely as bricked as a house so you should attempt to request and RMA
KittyRgnarok said:
I could be wrong but I think u might be able to sideload like an Oreo preview build without bl unlock, idr though but yeah tl:;dw: your device is likely as bricked as a house so you should attempt to request and RMA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can sideload ota updates in the stock recovery, but I'm pretty sure that's it. He could try sideloading this months update and see. I could be wrong
shagbag913 said:
You can sideload ota updates in the stock recovery, but I'm pretty sure that's it. He could try sideloading this months update and see. I could be wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah that's what I'm thinking. OP test this and if anything breaks report back
That's pretty odd that it would just break like that. If he hasn't messed with anything software related it could be a hardware issue
shagbag913 said:
You can sideload ota updates in the stock recovery, but I'm pretty sure that's it. He could try sideloading this months update and see. I could be wrong
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can't even get into recovery mode. It errors (see OP for the message). Would it be different if I initiated recovery mode from fastboot or adb?
TromboneKenny said:
I can't even get into recovery mode. It errors (see OP for the message). Would it be different if I initiated recovery mode from fastboot or adb?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think it would be different. This sounds like a hardware issue, not software.

Pixel bricked with locked bootloader

Today I made a mistake and possibly broke my Pixel permanently.
The bootloader was unlocked, TWRP was installed and the system was rooted and modified.
I intended to reset the device completely to factory settings (with the factory image), but locked the bootloader without thinking BEFORE restoring the system. This caused the Pixel to go into a boot loop, neither system nor recovery were available, I could only get into the bootloader, so it was soft-bricked. That wouldn't be a problem, I should be able to unlock the bootloader and install the factory image. But this is not possible, because for some reason I can't unlock the bootloader anymore.
"fastboot oem unlock" or "fastboot flashing unlock" fails with "oem unlock is not allowed".
I don't know exactly why the bootloader is locked without system, but it definitely is. I can also not boot anything, not the system and not any recovery. If anything other than the bootloader is loaded, the Google logo flashes briefly, then the Pixel reboots. I can't use adb because there is no recovery or system available, and practically all fastboot commands are locked because the bootloader is locked.
I've been looking for solutions, but haven't found any. Is the Pixel definitely broken, or is there maybe some way to make it usable again? I don't care if I would lose data, but it would be a real bummer if the Pixel would be broken now.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions (even if it's just to throw the phone away and move on).
You could try the Deuces script. It was designed for the Pixel 2. If you're hesitant to run the script, you can look at it in a text editor, and run the commands yourself while following along.
Although it shouldn't be needed, you could try fasboot flashing unlock_critical.
Another thing which may help is to use fastboot to simply boot: fastboot boot boot.img. If you are able to boot, you may be able to go back into the developer options to toggle allowing unlock.
post-mortem said:
You could try the Deuces script. It was designed for the Pixel 2. If you're hesitant to run the script, you can look at it in a text editor, and run the commands yourself while following along.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That unfortunatly doesn't work. It's only for unlocked or at least unlockable deviced. I still tried it, but most fastboot commands require the bootloader to be unlocked. flashing unlock, flashing unlock_critical oem unlock, flash, format, boot, --set-active all don't work with a non-unlockable bootloader.
Although it shouldn't be needed, you could try fasboot flashing unlock_critical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Also fails with 'oem unlock is not allowed'.
Another thing which may help is to use fastboot to simply boot: fastboot boot boot.img. If you are able to boot, you may be able to go back into the developer options to toggle allowing unlock.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Fails with 'Command is not supported. Please unlock device to enable this command.'
This may be worth a punt
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel/help/help-asap-pixel-bricked-t3518905
junglism93 said:
This may be worth a punt
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel/help/help-asap-pixel-bricked-t3518905
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No luck there. In my case I can't even boot to the system anymore (with fastboot continue), since anything else than bootloader just briefly flashes the boot animation, then my phone shuts off.
Marvin0509 said:
No luck there. In my case I can't even boot to the system anymore (with fastboot continue), since anything else than bootloader just briefly flashes the boot animation, then my phone shuts off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn, well it was worth a shot. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge might pipe up with a solution at some point.
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs
junglism93 said:
Damn, well it was worth a shot. Hopefully someone with a bit more knowledge might pipe up with a solution at some point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found nothing that could help me, so I contacted Google, and they offered me a free RMA, which I gladly accepted.
Marvin0509 said:
I found nothing that could help me, so I contacted Google, and they offered me a free RMA, which I gladly accepted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Definitely seems a non recoverable scenario and happy days on getting it RMA'd for free :good:
Sent from my Pixel using XDA Labs
Marvin0509 said:
I found nothing that could help me, so I contacted Google, and they offered me a free RMA, which I gladly accepted.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's over a year old right?? And they RMAed it for free?
aholeinthewor1d said:
It's over a year old right?? And they RMAed it for free?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Over two years old, actually. I was really surprised as well, especially since it's my own fault that it doesn't work anymore. I don't know exactly why, but I certainly won't say no to this offer.
Marvin0509 said:
Over two years old, actually. I was really surprised as well, especially since it's my own fault that it doesn't work anymore. I don't know exactly why, but I certainly won't say no to this offer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting. Did you tell them you were messing with the bootloader, or did you play stupid?
post-mortem said:
Interesting. Did you tell them you were messing with the bootloader, or did you play stupid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I told them the whole truth, that I rooted it, modified the system, and that it doesn't work at all anymore.
Marvin,
What google support did you contact? Can you share the link or contact details perhaps? I have exactly the same problem and I have not been able unlock the bootloader and fear I have a hard bricked device, with Google being the only solution...
Thanks
HeinrichSpy said:
Marvin,
What google support did you contact? Can you share the link or contact details perhaps? I have exactly the same problem and I have not been able unlock the bootloader and fear I have a hard bricked device, with Google being the only solution...
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a subscription for Google One, so I contacted support from one.google.com. They quickly talked to me, then added a Pixel support employee to the conversation. I think I could have also contacted Pixel support directly on this page: support.google.com/pixelphone/contactflow. However I'm not sure if this will work in your country, I'm from Germany and the page wants me to select my Pixel, then I could contact a support employee via chat or wait for a callback, but if I change the language to English, the page seems broken and is just blank.
Marvin0509 said:
Today I made a mistake and possibly broke my Pixel permanently.
The bootloader was unlocked, TWRP was installed and the system was rooted and modified.
I intended to reset the device completely to factory settings (with the factory image), but locked the bootloader without thinking BEFORE restoring the system. This caused the Pixel to go into a boot loop, neither system nor recovery were available, I could only get into the bootloader, so it was soft-bricked. That wouldn't be a problem, I should be able to unlock the bootloader and install the factory image. But this is not possible, because for some reason I can't unlock the bootloader anymore.
"fastboot oem unlock" or "fastboot flashing unlock" fails with "oem unlock is not allowed".
I don't know exactly why the bootloader is locked without system, but it definitely is. I can also not boot anything, not the system and not any recovery. If anything other than the bootloader is loaded, the Google logo flashes briefly, then the Pixel reboots. I can't use adb because there is no recovery or system available, and practically all fastboot commands are locked because the bootloader is locked.
I've been looking for solutions, but haven't found any. Is the Pixel definitely broken, or is there maybe some way to make it usable again? I don't care if I would lose data, but it would be a real bummer if the Pixel would be broken now.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions (even if it's just to throw the phone away and move on).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i tried flashing a stock ota image...it was successful, but on reboot, nothing has changed. still the same. u know of a solution? i cant find it anywhere. thanks

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