SystemUI crash loop, any rescue directions? (10, stock) - Google Pixel 3a Questions & Answers

hey there,
(new account since i can't access or recover my old one right now )
first of all, i'm on stock android 10, C3 update i think (the latest before yesterday's nov. update), neither rooted nor bootloader unlocked. here's my issue:
Final edit (smaller edits below):
No attempt worked, device had to be factory reset. Now Google can deal with the original issue of the screen behaving weirdly. (Seriously though, the display issues weren't even consistently present. Imagine a slightly greenish tint across the whole system, affecting and muddying the darker tones the most. Black was okay, because it's off on OLEDs anyway, but the launcher adds a brighter gradient with low color depth on top of black, ridiculing the desire of the pixels to be off. Weirdest thing ever, because it's not even visible on screenshots, but is following screen orientation. Now imagine not realizing that and sending a non-existing issue on a screenshot to Google support chat, then making a photo of it with another phone.)
edit: tldr version, because lots of text below: (edit: this didn't age well)
- stock android 10 (latest before nov.), bootloader locked
- sudden systemui crash loop (after changing wallpaper, green tint days before) on lock screen even in safe mode
- adb probably not enabled; fastboot lists device, no luck with adb (edit: adb sideload in recovery works)
- no backups; wanting to rescue my data;
additional attempts:
- safe mode also ended in sysui loop
- can get the loop at least stuck with its dialog box in emergency call ui, as well as with work profile switcher pattern prompt
- google's "find my device" inconsistently connects, seemingly by getting system stuck like above. could make it ring though, locking function reports success sometimes, but no further feedback
- adb sideloading . same version ota in recovery (is always enabled? system adb seemed disabled, so i wonder) didn't seem to change anything, sideloading nov. update processed at the G logo loading for a while, but systemui looped again afterwards.
edit: maybe incomplete? terminal ended both times at 94% and recovery at "...completed with status 0, so I thought is was normal (edit: it looks like it is, my Redmi reports even less percentage and status 0 with a successful flash)
Final edit:
- "fastboot continue", as well as parameters to switch boot slots didn't help in this case, both slots were affected and these commands aren't allowed on this locked bootloader
- "fastboot boot recovery.img" isn't either
- recovering data after a wipe is also a no; device is encrypted and therefore wipes the key to decrypt
- ADB sideloading already switches boot slots, no point in forcing it afterwards
- Getting the crash loop stuck by enabling the work profile seemingly provides enough time to input the pattern, but the system still prompted me to put it in before re-enabling fingerprints. Strangely enough, the profile successfully triggers, but that particular pattern has no effect on the regular lock screen (which essentially seem to trigger the exact same function. For God's sake if they had accepted that pattern to also unlock my fingerprints, I would have been able to recover all data.)
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a couple of days ago i noticed my 3a was suddenly having a slight green display tint, which i was planning to fix or get fixed (haven't factory reset yet since i couldn't backup yet).
i recently started using cf lumen again to further dim the screen at night, so i assumed it was fixable misbehavior. i always disabled it in the morning.
occasionally i switched to a solid black wallpaper, because of the shadows/tints systemui uses to easily verify it is still there (the gradient shadow at the top of the launcher, which expands/darkens when you swipe the apps up, showed harsh steps, kinda like an image when lowering color depth).
Edit: Screenshots don't capture it, but it's following screen orientation and isn't present on settings in dark mode, maybe higher software layer that screenshots don't capture (looked silly, telling Google about it and sending a screenshot with no visible problem, 7/10 comedy).
Anyway, second troubleshooting with Google concluded with repair under warranty.
fast forward to today, i changed the wallpaper again (using an old quickpic version for an accurate portrait ratio, which has worked fine for months, and even longer on my phone before) and right after successfully applying it, systemui started its crash loop.
i could still temporarily unlock with my fingerprint, but it obviously locked again after crashing.
what made things worse, i rebooted and now i can't even temporarily unlock, because it asks for my pattern (which is default behavior), but i have barely a second to swipe up and enter it.
leaving the screen on and letting it loop now also reboots it into recovery mode after a while, prompting me with a notification that android couldn't boot and if i wanted to factory reset or try again, however, the booted ui looks functional and even quickly toggling the quick settings does work. i guess the failsafe triggers early, only because of systemui crashing.
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so, i am now asking you helpful folks, what are my options to recover from this state?
i can't really afford deleting all of my files by factory resetting.
i don't have a google drive backup or a backup of my media. and correct me if i'm wrong, but i can only access the storage via usb by unlocking lock screen first, right?
i think i haven't used adb on it yet, if there's something i need to have enabled.
fwiw, i can also confirm that it shouldn't have any mechanical damage, since i used a spigen tough armor almost since i have my 3a and never did it drop with or without.
edit: i also booted into safe mode already, but the crash loop persists.
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as of now, i'm gathering my options, so i apologize for not trying anything yet. i'm in the process of catching up to todays standards (e.g. a/b devices and stuff) and my time as a power user came to a stop late into the lifespan of my beloved nexus 5.
i'll probably update this post in case i have anything to report or forgot to add any details.
anyway, thank you for reading and for hopefully providing some directions in advance.

The simplest solution would be to just reflash the stock OTA. You can try dirty or do a factory reset first which should for sure work but is obviously more extreme.
Download the OTA here and move it to your PC
Reboot to bootloader
Reboot to stock recovery
Select ADB sideload
Open a terminal and adb sideload sargo-ota-qp1a.191105.003-a8fe1786.zip
Alternatively you can simply try reflashing the stock boot.img from the Nov update but if the SystemUI is corrupted that wont fix it.

ctfrommn said:
The simplest solution would be to just reflash the stock OTA. You can try dirty or do a factory reset first which should for sure work but is obviously more extreme.
Download the OTA here and move it to your PC
Reboot to bootloader
Reboot to stock recovery
Select ADB sideload
Open a terminal and adb sideload sargo-ota-qp1a.191105.003-a8fe1786.zip
Alternatively you can simply try reflashing the stock boot.img from the Nov update but if the SystemUI is corrupted that wont fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks for your suggestions and the steps you provided. flashing the boot.img reflashes the kernel, doesn't it?
like you said, systemui seems corrupted, or was fed something invalid and is now struggling, so i would try to reflash the whole update via sideload.
i already had something similar in mind, but since i had adb disabled, i thought that wouldn't work. so i just booted into recovery, selected the sideload option and (little did i know) it showed my device in "adb devices".
since i was on the october update (c3? the latest before november's), would you recommend grabbing the same version and dirty flashing it, or go right to the november one?
and because i'm dirty flashing, i guess i would to keep my internal storage intact, maybe even app data?
i've seemingly got nothing to lose anyway, an extensive chat with google support also ended in resetting as the only option.

flashing the boot.img reflashes the kernel, doesn't it?
Yes
since i was on the october update (c3? the latest before november's), would you recommend grabbing the same version and dirty flashing it, or go right to the november one?
You could start with Octobers. That will have the smallest risk.
and because i'm dirty flashing, i guess i would to keep my internal storage intact, maybe even app data?
Yes, all will remain in tact

ctfrommn said:
flashing the boot.img reflashes the kernel, doesn't it?
Yes
since i was on the october update (c3? the latest before november's), would you recommend grabbing the same version and dirty flashing it, or go right to the november one?
You could start with Octobers. That will have the smallest risk.
and because i'm dirty flashing, i guess i would to keep my internal storage intact, maybe even app data?
Yes, all will remain in tact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
unfortunately, flashing the existing version didn't change anything, still was force closing systemui...
after that, i sideloaded the november update, which was processing at the G logo loading screen for a while, but in the end, it resulted in the same systemui crash loop.
what i did try in addition, was visiting google's "find my device", successfully making it ring after getting the fc loop stuck with the emergency call ui as well as by switching to the work profile and triggering a pattern prompt. however, only the locking command acted like it was working, but didn't help. installing anything remotely from the play store also didn't give any feedback whatsoever.
right now, i'm out of options... it seems the only obstacle is the lockscreen (which i can almost unlock in those 2 seconds to re-enable my fingerprint) and adb not being enabled. the quick settings toggle properly though, and the ui including the wallpaper render correctly.
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again, if it's of any use, i can get the loop stuck without being able to interact with anything afterwards by opening the emergency call interface or the work profile switcher. it displayed the fc window at least, which got the loop stuck, but going nowhere.

sysuicrash0511 said:
unfortunately, flashing the existing version didn't change anything, still was force closing systemui...
after that, i sideloaded the november update, which was processing at the G logo loading screen for a while, but in the end, it resulted in the same systemui crash loop.
what i did try in addition, was visiting google's "find my device", successfully making it ring after getting the fc loop stuck with the emergency call ui as well as by switching to the work profile and triggering a pattern prompt. however, only the locking command acted like it was working, but didn't help. installing anything remotely from the play store also didn't give any feedback whatsoever.
right now, i'm out of options... it seems the only obstacle is the lockscreen (which i can almost unlock in those 2 seconds to re-enable my fingerprint) and adb not being enabled. the quick settings toggle properly though, and the ui including the wallpaper render correctly.
----
again, if it's of any use, i can get the loop stuck without being able to interact with anything afterwards by opening the emergency call interface or the work profile switcher. it displayed the fc window at least, which got the loop stuck, but going nowhere.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Time to clean flash it sounds like.

ctfrommn said:
Time to clean flash it sounds like.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i'm afraid you're right... i'll probably get a spare phone soon and let the 3a sleep for a couple of days, in case a miracle happens.
another question, and sorry to bother you barely on topic, but do you think i could recover some data from the internal storage after factory resetting or even clean flashing? (partitions/mounts don't use reserved memory sectors, i guess?) i mean, a wipe does only delete and doesn't overwrite for the most part, right? i'd look for a recovery solution another day, if deemed viable.

You should be able to backup everything. When you plug it in the internal storage mounts, yes? If not, you may have to try adb pull. And a clean flash these days with the way Google backs up and restores everything isnt near as big of a deal as it once was.
Alternatively, you could try just wiping the system partition(s) and leave internal storage alone. Not sure if thats an option anymore with the way this phone is partitioned though.

ctfrommn said:
You should be able to backup everything. When you plug it in the internal storage mounts, yes? If not, you may have to try adb pull. And a clean flash these days with the way Google backs up and restores everything isnt near as big of a deal as it once was.
Alternatively, you could try just wiping the system partition(s) and leave internal storage alone. Not sure if thats an option anymore with the way this phone is partitioned though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
basically coming from a nexus 5 as my main device, everything was straightforward, or it was because i had it for that long.
in case i miss something or lack the knowledge, mounting it over usb requires the screen to be unlocked once, right?
since adb sideloading worked, this doesn't imply i had usb debugging enabled, does it?
at this point, i only care about my internal storage, my app data isn't as important and i didn't back it up in drive anyway. and before posting the thread, a google search seemed to confirm, that a reset would indeed affect the internal storage partition, which is why i've been hesitant.
i would reset the device in a heartbeat if i could pull my media before. :/
anyway, thank you for your help so far, really appreciated.

I also came from Hammerhead and Shamu so this device is still a learning curve for me as well. I think youve exceeded my ability to help as Ive never dealt with this. Reflashing the OTA should fix this so the fact it didnt is very odd. The combination of this device and Android 10 has introduced a lot of oddities which is why development is so slow right now.

Still haven't reset my device, really wanting to keep the internal storage (app data not as important), so I apologize for bumping.
Quick summary (full story and attempts above), if there's still anyone wanting to help me salvage my data:
- stuck in infinite SystemUI crash, thus retriggering screen lock
- bootloader locked, adb probably disabled (sideloading in recovery works)
- completely unmodified stock 10, crashing started after checking for update (didn't initiate on mobile data) and upon changing wallpaper a couple of minutes later
- wiping would include storage afaik
- sideloading update didn't recover (see below)
- was on October version, can't confirm successfully sideloading November's (terminal always finished at 94% and recovery told "completed with status 0"
- can't mount via USB because can't bypass lockscreen
Yet to try (need to use a friend's laptop)
- remotely booting TWRP (on 10 though, so not fully compatible afaik)
What's seemingly holding me back, or "entry points"
- remotely enabling adb (hopeless I guess?)
- disabling screen lock (although crashing, toggling quick settings persists)
- mounting internal storage from wherever
- wiping app data from SystemUI, or factory resetting without wiping storage
- any exploits, since it's my very own phone (I can provide proof, if needed)
Any further help appreciated, thank you for reading.

Have you tried flashing full factory image?
Edit the flash-all.bat file and remove the -w to keep your data also make sure you have latest platform tools (adb,fastboot).

kc6wke said:
Have you tried flashing full factory image?
Edit the flash-all.bat file and remove the -w to keep your data also make sure you have latest platform tools (adb,fastboot).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't yet, no, thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it when I get my hands on that laptop again.
It's running Xubuntu (so probably a flash-all.sh), updating adb/fastboot should be child's play.
To be clear, by "keeping [my] data", do you mean the internal storage, app data, or possibly both?
I assume -w is the parameter for wiping, but not sure how that affects partitions on our Pixel.
(Also sorry for not responding sooner, didn't see the notification :/ )

sysuicrash0511 said:
I haven't yet, no, thanks for the suggestion. I'll try it when I get my hands on that laptop again.
It's running Xubuntu (so probably a flash-all.sh), updating adb/fastboot should be child's play.
To be clear, by "keeping [my] data", do you mean the internal storage, app data, or possibly both?
I assume -w is the parameter for wiping, but not sure how that affects partitions on our Pixel.
(Also sorry for not responding sooner, didn't see the notification :/ )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The -w is for wiping the internal storage. if you remove it you don't lose anything (apps and data, pics, etc..)
if you don't remove it, it wipes internal (as if it was new).

kc6wke said:
Have you tried flashing full factory image?
Edit the flash-all.bat file and remove the -w to keep your data also make sure you have latest platform tools (adb,fastboot).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hey, quick update:
i wasn't able to flash the factory image unfortunately. it fails the flash command because of the locked bootloader...
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additional question to anyone regarding sideloading:
the process always seems to run fine in my terminal window, however, it always ends at
Code:
serving: '/home/myname/Downloads/sargo-ota-qp1a.191105.003-a8fe1786.zip' (~93%
serving: '/home/myname/Downloads/sargo-ota-qp1a.191105.003-a8fe1786.zip' (~94%
Total xfer: 2.00x
while the recovery log on my phone says
Code:
install from adb completed with status 0
after something going through something like "step 1/2" and "step 2/2" (cant remember exactly, but there wasn't much more).
anyone got a clue?

As you found out, the only option available to you with a locked bootloader is the "side load" option - which you have already tired. Just to be sure, you did flash the correct factory image - the Google page lists every Pixel device and you have to make sure you download the correct one.
Outside of that very small possibility that you flashed the incorrect version, I think you will have to contact Google support for help/repair.

sic0048 said:
As you found out, the only option available to you with a locked bootloader is the "side load" option - which you have already tired. Just to be sure, you did flash the correct factory image - the Google page lists every Pixel device and you have to make sure you download the correct one.
Outside of that very small possibility that you flashed the incorrect version, I think you will have to contact Google support for help/repair.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm pretty sure I flashed/sideloaded the correct one, I think I even verified the November update version in my quick settings (during the one or two seconds the UI takes to crash)...
I've thought the 94%/status 0 messages were normal, something like finishing the remaining 6% in an instant (for checks or so).
I have yet to try factory resetting, and I'm sure that'll fix it (which the Google support chat concluded as well), but I don't want to wipe my internal storage just yet.
Ironically, I rebooted the first time it crashed, hoping it would fix it. But all that did was forcing the pattern lock. Before, I was able to fingerprint unlock it instantly and even interact with the system for a second (probably to enable ADB, USB, ...).
But now, I have to swipe up and put in a complex 9 point pattern in 1-2 seconds, which I can physically get to 8...
It seems, the remaining single point of my pattern could rescue every single bit of my data.

I had forgotten that you haven't tried to factory reset the phone. Unfortunately I think that is your best/only option at this point. I do think that will work, but if not then it's going to have to be escalated to Google for more assistance.

If anyone cares, I updated the mess of my OP to be even more of a mess.
TL;DR: No idea worked, was forced to factory reset.
Now it's Google's turn to repair my display issue, which I almost forgot about.
Thanks to anyone who read and tried to help. Probably not a useful post for anybody, maybe the collection of ideas are, though.
Have a great day.

have you given any thought to unlocking the bootloader now that you have to start over?

Related

[Q] Anyone else having issues with custom roms? My rundown of steps.

People that can't get the roms beyond stock to work, are your phones activated?
Is it possible to use the Pac Man Rom or CM10 on an unactivated phone?
I'm having similar issues to others trying to flash Pac Man and CM10.2. The first boot was fine and I can access everything on the phone fine, including settings. I rebooted and the activation screen (which I skipped as this phone doesn't have service) always pops up but I would like to use it without putting it on a cell network. I can skip the screen fine (until I decide to disable it) but then have issues like the keyboard (physical and touch), systemUI or NAV Bar crashing with a constant message pop up telling me it has crashed. I have returned to stock using RSD and reflashed Pac Man and CM10.2 MANY (15+?) times, doing a clean install 99% of the time but also trying a couple dirty installs to cover my bases. I should also note that I flashed the phone to Cricket but have no plans to activate it anytime soon.
Another thing to note is that I had issues getting the custom roms to boot at all as the initial setup would take hours. One time I though it was a boot loop but I left it on all night and it had booted in the morning. I believe it has something to do with the file check at boot (with my 32GB low speed class SD card) but that seems to be resolved and I can get the custom roms to boot fine (on the first boot) even with my 32GB (witch is fine and has no errors nor is generic, before you ask.) I also have tried 2 4GB cards and a 2GB card, all different brands, with no change in behavior.
I have done everything below multiple times and in different orders.(If needed I can give a direct breakdown step by step but if you could do it with the files below, I have probably tried it)
Wipe the phone (including all storage internal and external SDs included)
Using RDS v6.15
RDS asanti_c_sprint-user-4.1.2-9.8.2Q-122_XT897_FFW-5-6-release-keys-cid9.xml.zip (Works 100% of the time and never has issues. I keep reverting back to this if I actually need to use the phone)
RDS ClockworkMod, TWRP, and Open Recovery without TWRP (Tried different versions when available)
Then used each recovery to install Pac Man or CM10.2 (tried 10.1 once but had the same issues and I didn't see the need to troubleshoot a rom people seemed to not want to develop for. So 10.1 was only tried once but has the same issues)
Installed GApps at this point but I also tried alternate versions of GApps and not installing it at all. All have the same effect and don't seem to be contributing to the problems at all.
A few installed I tried wiping the phone again or installing each zip multiple times. I also verified the zips were good when on the device to make sure there was no corruption at transfer.
I also tried multiple (confirmed working) SD cards and installing from the internal storage.
I have tried installing arrrghhh's Kernel too.
The issue ether seems to be boot loop (if it's doing a file check) or more often it works until I get one of the said crashes after a reboot.(blame Tyler message is getting SO old...) The time I see the errors seems to be accelerated if I mess with the settings a lot but I don't believe it is directly related to the settings.
My next recourse is to try and flash it back to Sprint (maybe check my Cricket settings) and see if that helps, without it being activated.
On a separate note.
If people need help I can help get you back to stock easily. The instructions/guides on here are all but useless if you don't know what you are doing already. I have seen down to "USE RDS" or "DELETE LINE MD5" like people would just know what that means. I understand RDS Lite is a standard tool for flashing phones but it's nigh impossible to find real explanations on what stuff does in context. I understand the basics though, so if anyone has any questions I can walk you through it.
To start with if you are stuck in a loop at the start of a new rom and it loops between the 'Welcome' Screen (Select your Language) and Activation screen just skip the initial setup by tapping the corners on your screen in a clockwise manor when on the 'Welcome' screen to skip the setup there is a video to explain it here
pocketnow(can't post links )com/how-to/android-quick-tip-how-to-bypass-touch-the-android-to-begin-video
Without doing this or activating the phone it seems to loop between those 2 screens forever (might indicate part of the problem with customs roms....)
I hope this is enough info to go off of I can give you a play by play with the actual files if you need. Maybe a video if needed and I'm feeling extra fancy.
Thanks for your time.
Hey buddy,
If you're trying to make a guide, make sure you call it what it is properly - RSD Lite.
Also, maybe clean up your post a bit so it's a proper guide (as you point out, it's needed) and make a separate thread for your question.
To answer your question, the unactivated phone shouldn't be an issue in of itself - you'll just get the nag screen like you were talking about.
I know there is an issue some are having with rebooting the 4.3 ROM's. Have you tried any 4.2.2 versions of anything? Carbon, CM10.1?
I wonder if your "flash" to Cricket is causing issue, I'm not sure. Let me know about 4.2.
Edit - I missed this part on my first read of your PM. Taking hours to boot is NOT normal. Perhaps remove the SD card entirely, flash using the internal SD... I've never heard of that. Anything over say 20 minutes is probably cause for concern.
Thanks for taking time to answer me.
In no way was I trying to make a guide yet but I guess I could. I just hate posting stuff without useful content so I figured throwing that in was better than nothing. I'll clean it up and set up some links later today. It's frustrating to try and make a full guide before I can post links that would be needed for it. You are totally right though! (complain about crappy guides and kind of make one... )
Part of my point there was that I can't post out of Q and A and this wasn't really a question so I made a question out of it and that's how my post ended up.
I have flashed many phones before but like I said I'll try and put it back on Sprint later today (probably will be a few hours) as I backed up the settings the phone came with. I know it was a wall of text and not the easiest to read so you probably missed it but I also said in my first post that I tried the internal SD card many times and the taking hours to boot isn't the standard and doesn't seem to happen at 99% of the time. It seems to be related to the recovery software I use as it happened a lot more when I was testing TWRP and none when I use clockwork.
What Recovery do you recommend? I swear they aren't made equal...
I tested CM10.1 once and it had the exact same issues as CM10.2 and Pac Man so I didn't test it further but if you want me to test it I can. I just didn't want the Rom.
I don't want Carbon either but I'll test that and AOKP next. It's just annoying that the stock rom works perfect but I can't get these to function at all. I almost wish I didn't get Pac Man to work at all. I'm very particular about my settings and NEED these features after I tried them Pac Man is AMAZING.
Thank you for the help and I hope I can get this worked out.
PS I saw that you were frustrated about working on a rom you don't have a device for. I hope you don't let a little thing like that stop you as, for the little time I have used it, it's all I want. Thanks again.
Blasz said:
What Recovery do you recommend? I swear they aren't made equal...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, OpenRecovery has probably the most work done for this device specifically. I liked TWRP, but it seems lately it has been unstable - you're not the first who has reported issues lately. I don't think CWM has been updated, unfortunately - but perhaps that's a good thing, it's stable that's for sure.
Blasz- I was just about to start a thread when I found yours, and it very accurately describes the issues I've been having. Here's my progress so far.
I got my Photon Q with Sprint and used it for a few months before Sprint started finding creative ways to take my "$79.99" bill and make it more like $140 a month. Naturally, I refused to pay. So I had a Photon Q with no cell service. This is fine, as I only need it to work on WiFi, not 2G/3G and there is no 4G in the area. Anyway.
At the time, I had Ice Cream Sandwich on it, using the (latest?) ICS firmware from Motorola. This worked very well, but I later tried to use a newer firmware, and all the custom ROMs had shown up while I hadn't been looking. All of these seemed to be based on JellyBean. First off, I tried CyanogenMod 10.2. Worked amazing well! I had literally no problems at all. However, while I was experimenting with different software for the phone, and wanted to see if "Arrrgghh"(sp?)'s kernels would give me some decent overclocking capability. Turns out, the kernel I picked wasn't compatible with the JB firmwares (I probably picked an older one by mistake.) Needless to say, it now wouldn't boot. It'd go to the "Unlocked bootloader" screen and stay there all night (literally, I tried that.)
So, I went back into CWM, which is the recovery I have installed. I erased /data, /cache and /system, and also the dalvik cache and battery stats for good measure. I also formatted /pds and /modem, I believe, which was probably dumb of me since I'm not sure what those do. Then I tried re-installing CM 10.2 from CWM. The installation went fine, and it works gorgeously. However, there's two weird issues:
1) WiFi and Bluetooth don't even BEGIN to work! Neither does Cell, as far as I can tell, because where CM used to be unable to make calls or access the internet (of course, I've not been paying my bill), it now shows an empty signal bar or "No Signal" (the little red X) in the notification bar ... When I try to turn on WiFi using the slider in Settings, it moves to "ON" (stays gray) and pauses for a few secs, then goes back to OFF. Same thing for BT. If I open the WiFi menu where you select an AP, it tells me to turn on WiFi. I do, using the slider up top, and the same thing happens. WiFi and BT simply won't turn on. Tried fiddling with every setting I can find.
Before this misadventure with the kernel/reinstall, WiFi worked great. I connected to a local AP and was surfing the net and downloading apps.
2) The system takes a VERY long time to boot up. It sits at the "Unlocked Bootloader" screen for up to a whole minute. Then it goes to the Cyanogen screen for about 30 seconds. Then it gets to the homescreen. It's fine so long as you let it boot up, but this doesn't seem normal.
Next I tried other ROMs thinking that might help. I installed AOKP, PacMan, CM1.0, Carbon, SlimBean, and I think a few others without results-- they all work but WiFi and BlueTooth are dead. PacMan is the only exception-- it boots up and then endlessly gives me "Blame Tyler" errors until I force the machine to shut off.
I also tried an older ROM, since these are all JellyBean ROMs and I wanted to get back to ICS (I'm not that fond of JB's interface) anyway. I was unable to find any ZIPs I could install through CWM of the stock firmware. I found some IMGs that it looks like I could install via Fastboot, but I don't currently have a PC with admin priveleges (it's not mine) so I can't install the drivers to use Fastboot or any part of the SDK. (I can, however, put files on my SD card, that doesn't require privleges.) The closest ROM I found to stock was "TwistedAsanti" beta-1 or whatever it's called. That installs fine, but again, it takes about 2 straight minutes to boot and it's useless after that:
It gets stuck at "Starting Services..." and will sit there forever, even left there all night. Behind this, a dialog pops up saying no cell networks were found and asking if I want to switch to GSM. (i've been trying GSM and CDMA ROMs all this time, I don't need cell access so I doubt it matters which I use. I'm in the USA.) You can pull down the notification bar and get into the Settings, and even launch a couple programs, but I can't find ANY way to get to a homescreen. Task manager shows Circles is running, which is a widget on the homescreen, so where the heck is that screen? .. I try, again, to turn on WiFi or BT without success. The friggin thing just won't turn on.
Did I eff it up by erasing the "PDS" or "modem" partition? Am I missing something obvious or is my phone just possessed?
In a few days I should have access to a computer where I can hopefully use Fastboot and see about installing a stock firmware (wish me luck). Until then, does anyone have a ZIP file I can flash from CWM to get back to an ICS firmware? I managed to find a copy of the stock firmware, in the form of a dump done from TWRP (in .win files). But as far as I know the only way to install TWRP is using Fastboot, and I've explained why I can't do that. I don't know a way to install TWRP from CWM. Maybe I can do it from CM10.2, if I can put APKs or something on my SD card. I can't get it on the network, so I have to copy all the files manually. Needless to say, it's a pain.
After my frenzy of ROM installing, I got frustrated and decided to see if TwistedAsanti would do SOMETHING if I let it sit at "Starting Services" overnight. To my mistake, I left it under my pillow and the system was quite toasty, and the battery had run dead. Plugging it back into the charger, it made a few worrying clicking noises from the speaker, then the green LED came on. This LED seems to mean "I'm charging, but the battery is too dead to turn on for a while." After it sits there a while, the green LED turns off and it just goes black. Or it goes to BOOTLOADER UNLOCKED and bootloops, or goes to black untilyou fiddle with the power button some more. I can once in a blue moon get to CWM. Sometimes it gets to the homescreen. It will charge up to about 4-7% and no further (battery got damaged by the heat?) It doesn't reliably work when plugged in, it likes to shut off at random anyway.
So now I'm stuck with a phone I can't seem to charge, or turn on reliably, and if I *do* get it to boot up, there's no way to connect it to a network.
Needless to say I'm pretty darn frustrated..
Thanks for any advice.
Epicenter714 said:
So now I'm stuck with a phone I can't seem to charge, or turn on reliably, and if I *do* get it to boot up, there's no way to connect it to a network.
Needless to say I'm pretty darn frustrated..
Thanks for any advice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try to use RSD Lite and flash the device back to stock?
arrrghhh said:
Did you try to use RSD Lite and flash the device back to stock?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently, I have no PC to use that has Admin priveleges, so I can't install the USB drivers or RSDLite. I also can't use fastboot to install TWRP to use the TWRP .win backups I found.
I did get a roommate to let me use his laptop for 10 minutes to try RSD Lite, but I had this result: Loaded the ".xml.zip" file for the 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 firmwares (after removing the 'getvar' line that causes problems) and it says the phone reported "FAIL". No further details. MiniRSD gives no info from the phone other than the model (it all stays blank), is that supposed to happen? I have the phone in "AP Fastboot" mode so I don't see the problem.
The guy who let me use his PC momentarily is computer-illiterate and thinks anything will break it, so he only let me use it momentarily, and won't let me touch it because I accidentally left an icon on his desktop. I'll have to ask someone else, I think I may know somone..
If I do, how do I get around this error in RSD Lite? Will keep doing research on my own .. thanks!
Epicenter714 said:
Currently, I have no PC to use that has Admin priveleges, so I can't install the USB drivers or RSDLite. I also can't use fastboot to install TWRP to use the TWRP .win backups I found.
I did get a roommate to let me use his laptop for 10 minutes to try RSD Lite, but I had this result: Loaded the ".xml.zip" file for the 4.0.4 and 4.1.2 firmwares (after removing the 'getvar' line that causes problems) and it says the phone reported "FAIL". No further details. MiniRSD gives no info from the phone other than the model (it all stays blank), is that supposed to happen? I have the phone in "AP Fastboot" mode so I don't see the problem.
The guy who let me use his PC momentarily is computer-illiterate and thinks anything will break it, so he only let me use it momentarily, and won't let me touch it because I accidentally left an icon on his desktop. I'll have to ask someone else, I think I may know somone..
If I do, how do I get around this error in RSD Lite? Will keep doing research on my own .. thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well remember - if you are on JB and you are downgrading to ICS, there are additional lines to remove.
Other than that, not sure why it would fail. Make sure 'fastboot devices' works in the command line before doing RSD perhaps.
arrrghhh said:
Well remember - if you are on JB and you are downgrading to ICS, there are additional lines to remove.
Other than that, not sure why it would fail. Make sure 'fastboot devices' works in the command line before doing RSD perhaps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying to wipe the device clean and install ICS. Are there any other lines I need to remove? ..
As for Fastboot.. I did 'Fastboot Devices' and got no devices listed. How come it shows up in MiniRSD? .. I have the drivers installed, Windows says it installed an ADB device successfully. What are some reasons that might not work? Is there any sort of guide for this? Thank you
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------
Oh, as far as the weird booting problem, it seems the battery is fine and the charger died coincidentally at the same time as the overheating did. So my only problem is software now.. thanks.
Epicenter714 said:
I'm trying to wipe the device clean and install ICS. Are there any other lines I need to remove? ..
As for Fastboot.. I did 'Fastboot Devices' and got no devices listed. How come it shows up in MiniRSD? .. I have the drivers installed, Windows says it installed an ADB device successfully. What are some reasons that might not work? Is there any sort of guide for this? Thank you
---------- Post added at 05:51 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:29 PM ----------
Oh, as far as the weird booting problem, it seems the battery is fine and the charger died coincidentally at the same time as the overheating did. So my only problem is software now.. thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no clue what MiniRSD is - you mean RSD Lite?
If it doesn't show up in fastboot devices, sort that out before trying to use RSD.
As I stated previously, if you were on JB and going down to ICS you have additional lines which are needed to remove.
Yes, RSD Lite. I don't know where I got MiniRSD from.
I got it to show up in fastboot devices, but adb devices doesn't show it. Weird. Is that OK?
I was able to flash TWRP to the phone with Fastboot. RSD Lite was unable to find the phone. However, I opened the XML file and was able to figure out the flash commands to enter from a command prompt, so I did that:
I got these results... all of the files flashed successfully to stock, except for two. I forget the first, haven't got it in front of me, but here's the big one: SYSTEM! (Important, no?) Here's the error from fastboot:
>> fastboot flash system system.img.ext4
fastboot said:
target reports max download size 31457280 bytes
Invalid sparse file format at header magi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
(then, Fastboot crashes.)
Does anyone know how to fix that? Also, the system image is way bigger than 31.4 MB. What is it talking about?
Thanks!
Epicenter714 said:
Yes, RSD Lite. I don't know where I got MiniRSD from.
I got it to show up in fastboot devices, but adb devices doesn't show it. Weird. Is that OK?
I was able to flash TWRP to the phone with Fastboot. RSD Lite was unable to find the phone. However, I opened the XML file and was able to figure out the flash commands to enter from a command prompt, so I did that:
I got these results... all of the files flashed successfully to stock, except for two. I forget the first, haven't got it in front of me, but here's the big one: SYSTEM! (Important, no?) Here's the error from fastboot:
>> fastboot flash system system.img.ext4
(then, Fastboot crashes.)
Does anyone know how to fix that? Also, the system image is way bigger than 31.4 MB. What is it talking about?
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would NOT recommend entering those fastboot commands in the XML file manually unless you KNOW what you are doing.
Sort out why RSD isn't working. adb and fastboot are two different things. If fastboot devices shows the device, RSD Lite should work fine. Try again.

Stock Pixel 2 Locking Up on Boot: What are my options?

Hi All,
First, thanks for clicking into my question! This is my first post, but I've been lurking here since I used to flash new roms on my original Nexus on a frequent basis, and a Gen1 Kindle Fire before that.
My fiancee is in a bind with her Pixel 2, so I'm hoping you all can help me out.
Her Pixel 2 threw a bunch of app errors over the course of two days, so she opted to reboot -- unfortunately it now locks up at the loading screen, with the Google 'G' and a loader bar (she's running the latest 8.1, pre-Pie) and hangs there, overheating until the battery runs out and we shut it down. We can get into the Recovery menu, but none of the reboot options there seem to help, and there is only the Factory Reset option remaining that we haven't tried.
This happened in the middle of a huge camping excursion as her Bachelorette, so there was limited WiFi and data access to back anything up -- so locked behind that endless boot sequence is a lot of irreplaceable images and video.
What are my options to pull the user data out of there before a factory reset? Is it possible on a (stock, non-root, Google sourced) phone to flash the Pie update? Would that restore functionality?
Can I get to the data somehow through ADB without the phone booting up and unlocked?
Maybe something crazy, like a take a full image of the phone that I then shove on the replacement Pixel 2 that Google is sending us?
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
You could try booting to TWRP with "fastboot boot <filename here>". Then copy the files from there. I'm not sure if this will work if she had the screen locked beforehand though. You could also try flashing the latest factory image but make sure your remove the "-w" from the flash-all.bat file before running the script so it will not wipe user data. Both of these options might not be possible though if you do not have the boot-loader unlocked.
cynnican said:
Hi All,
First, thanks for clicking into my question! This is my first post, but I've been lurking here since I used to flash new roms on my original Nexus on a frequent basis, and a Gen1 Kindle Fire before that.
My fiancee is in a bind with her Pixel 2, so I'm hoping you all can help me out.
Her Pixel 2 threw a bunch of app errors over the course of two days, so she opted to reboot -- unfortunately it now locks up at the loading screen, with the Google 'G' and a loader bar (she's running the latest 8.1, pre-Pie) and hangs there, overheating until the battery runs out and we shut it down. We can get into the Recovery menu, but none of the reboot options there seem to help, and there is only the Factory Reset option remaining that we haven't tried.
This happened in the middle of a huge camping excursion as her Bachelorette, so there was limited WiFi and data access to back anything up -- so locked behind that endless boot sequence is a lot of irreplaceable images and video.
What are my options to pull the user data out of there before a factory reset? Is it possible on a (stock, non-root, Google sourced) phone to flash the Pie update? Would that restore functionality?
Can I get to the data somehow through ADB without the phone booting up and unlocked?
Maybe something crazy, like a take a full image of the phone that I then shove on the replacement Pixel 2 that Google is sending us?
Any guidance would be much appreciated!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ADB sideload the latest OTA zip in stock recovery, that should get you up and running again without needing a wipe
crixley said:
ADB sideload the latest OTA zip in stock recovery, that should get you up and running again without needing a wipe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! I'll be giving this a try as soon as she's home on Monday.
Does recovery mode automatically enable the USB Debugging that ADB uses?
cynnican said:
Thank you! I'll be giving this a try as soon as she's home on Monday.
Does recovery mode automatically enable the USB Debugging that ADB uses?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep you can sideload without needing it toggled in developer mode
crixley said:
Yep you can sideload without needing it toggled in developer mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This worked perfectly, thank you!
cynnican said:
This worked perfectly, thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad to hear! Nothing worse than having to wipe and losing important things you can't get back. I've had that happen a few times. Happy to help.
I'm not very technical - please keep this in mind with my query below.
I have a Pixel 2 which overnight stopped working - my guess is that it rebooted due to an automated software update.
I now only get the page with the robot on it's back.
Options in green on this page are Barcodes, Power Off, and Start.
After reading a lot online I've tried all the usual key press combinations to no avail.
I've also downloaded ADB and FASTBOOT to my Mac.
ADB doesn't see the phone when plugged in via USB (ie. ADB DEVICES doesn't return anything)
FASTBOOT DEVICES does, however, show the serial number as listed on the page with the robot on it's back (and the -l option adds "usb:" plus an 8 digit number and the letter "X"
FASTBOOT REBOOT restarts the phone and brings me back to the robot on it's back page.
Other information on the Robot on it's back page include -
Product Revision: walleye MP1
Boot-slot: b
Console: DISABLED
Secure Boot: yes (PRODUCTION)
Device State: locked
Advice online suggests I need to unlock the phone, so I've tried FASTBOOT FLASHING UNLOCK, and FASTBOOT OEM UNLOCK but neither work.
When I try these I get "FAILED (remote: Flashing Unlock is not allowed)"
An article on Android Police suggests this may have been a bug on the Pixel 2 originally and that it's now resolved.
Unfortunately, my cat 22 situation seems to be that I need to do a factory reset, but the steps I've found as to how to do a factory reset all lead back to the Robot on it's back page, so I can't see how to move forward to with recovering my phone?
Can anyone help please?
Really frustrated that my new phone can put itself into this state without me having done anything and that it's seemingly impossible to recover from this state now that it's in it.
At very least I'd like to wipe all data from the phone so I can send it off for repair.
Thanks in advance.

Cannot load Android System. Your data may be corrupt.

Backstory: I upgraded to android 10 a few weeks ago, aside from a few user apps breaking, there weren't any system issues. Recently, I received another update (seems like a patch ?) to android 10 and updated as well. I'm not sure if this recent update actually completed.
Last night, it seems like my phone went into a boot loop while I was sleeping. When I woke up the phone was hot, and each boot was so short that there was no opportunity to go into recovery mode. I pretty much had no choice other than to let the battery drain.
So I walked away and came back a while later to a peculiar recovery screen that said "Cannot load Android system. Your data may be corrupt. If you continue to get this message, you may need to perform a factory data reset and erase all user data stored on this device."
There's only 2 options: "Try again" and "Factory data reset". `adb devices` from the PC is unable to detect my pixel 3 here. "Try again" simply attempts to boot, and I just return to this same screen again (at least it doesn't loop now). I'm reluctant to factory reset as I want to at least have the chance to back up some data.
I am able to enter fastboot from this screen using Power + Volume Down. `fastboot devices` from the PC is able to detect the phone. However, because the bootloader is locked (haven't unlocked the bl since i started using nexus/pixel phones), I don't know if there's much i can do here.
My question is, is there anything that I can try at this point to boot into android 10, recover some data, then do a factory reset ?
From fastboot, what happens if you try entering recovery? If you can get into recovery, you could sideload the OTA. https://developers.google.com/android/ota
sliding_billy said:
From fastboot, what happens if you try entering recovery? If you can get into recovery, you could sideload the OTA. https://developers.google.com/android/ota
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the "normal" recovery mode. There was the message "Cannot load android system. Your data may be corrupt." Other only options are:
- "Try again" , basically a reboot, which eventually brings me back to this screen
- "Factory Data Reset"
adb is unable to detect the phone in this mode, so I am unable to sideload an OTA.
superc0w said:
It's not the "normal" recovery mode. There was the message "Cannot load android system. Your data may be corrupt." Other only options are:
- "Try again" , basically a reboot, which eventually brings me back to this screen
- "Factory Data Reset"
adb is unable to detect the phone in this mode, so I am unable to sideload an OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not knowing what is available with the BL locked... Is the new rescue mode option one of the power up/down choices from your BL/Fastboot screen? That rescue mode is supposed to allow ADB command to work. If not, you are going to have to do a factory reset and if that doesn't help contact Google and RMA. Ability to get out of bricks is the biggest reason to unlock your BL (if you purchased a Google unlockable BL phone) unless you purchased a Verizon phone and can't. In that case, back to the last comment about factory reset/RMA.
superc0w said:
It's not the "normal" recovery mode. There was the message "Cannot load android system. Your data may be corrupt." Other only options are:
- "Try again" , basically a reboot, which eventually brings me back to this screen
- "Factory Data Reset"
adb is unable to detect the phone in this mode, so I am unable to sideload an OTA.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Had this happen and I had to do a factory reset prior to unlocking bootloader ,which as was mentioned above is way easier to fix because you can reflash factory image without wiping all data
same thing happened to me; the previous comments gave me the outline of what was needed, so thank you. now for the op:
1. on the screen that offers try again or factory erase, choose "try again"
2. IMMEDIATELY press and hold volume down
3. when you reach the bootloader screen, you may release volume down
4. this is the standard bootloader screen for pixel 3. you should be able to cycle options do so to select 'recovery" (or whatever it says. I'm not going to reboot my phone to see exactly what it says, but I'm sure you get the idea)
Hi, I have encountered device corrupt error on my pixel 4Xl few days back, after reaching out to google support and waiting for 4hrs I haven't received any resolution. In few instances device worked normally for few hours but kept on switching off. I did factory reset once as suggested but currently issue is still persistent. I am out of warranty by few months so I cannot send it google support. Please help me in fixing this issue.
Prudhvi89 said:
Hi, I have encountered device corrupt error on my pixel 4Xl few days back, after reaching out to google support and waiting for 4hrs I haven't received any resolution. In few instances device worked normally for few hours but kept on switching off. I did factory reset once as suggested but currently issue is still persistent. I am out of warranty by few months so I cannot send it google support. Please help me in fixing this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sounds like this problem. https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/...xxxx_sn-xxxxxxxx.4205331/page-7#post-85981389
Prudhvi89 said:
Hi, I have encountered device corrupt error on my pixel 4Xl few days back, after reaching out to google support and waiting for 4hrs I haven't received any resolution. In few instances device worked normally for few hours but kept on switching off. I did factory reset once as suggested but currently issue is still persistent. I am out of warranty by few months so I cannot send it google support. Please help me in fixing this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So we know you get the corrupt message, support isn't helping, that in a few instances it worked normally for short periods, a factory reset didn't help, and yer out of warranty.
But can u get to fastboot? Is OEM unlocking on? Can u turn oem unlocking on in one of the "few instances", if it's not on?
If u can do the above, i'd follow googles instructions to unlock the bootloader and use the flash-all script and flash the latest firmware.
AsItLies said:
So we know you get the corrupt message, support isn't helping, that in a few instances it worked normally for short periods, a factory reset didn't help, and yer out of warranty.
But can u get to fastboot? Is OEM unlocking on? Can u turn oem unlocking on in one of the "few instances", if it's not on?
If u can do the above, i'd follow googles instructions to unlock the bootloader and use the flash-all script and flash the latest firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for responding back. Yes OEM is enabled on my device. I did reach out to google forums as well for support, they redirected to XDA for support with respect to flashing device.
PS: I am not at all a tech person and have very limited understanding in this area, I am just trying to save my phone.
Prudhvi89 said:
Hi, thanks for responding back. Yes OEM is enabled on my device. I did reach out to google forums as well for support, they redirected to XDA for support with respect to flashing device.
PS: I am not at all a tech person and have very limited understanding in this area, I am just trying to save my phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so then first follow this link and choose which version of android you'd like to flash to your 4xl (probably the latest one).
On that site click 'link' next to the chosen version and it will download the firmware zip file (this is the latest generic version: SP1A.211105.002, Nov 2021 --- if you have verizon or other choose the latest for that carrier).
Then you'll need to follow the directions near the top of that page that starts with the following:
Flashing instructions​The factory image downloaded from this page includes a script that flashes the device, typically named flash-all.sh (On Windows systems, use flash-all.bat instead).
etc etc etc.
If you have trouble, post back here and people will try to assist you.
cheers
AsItLies said:
so then first follow this link and choose which version of android you'd like to flash to your 4xl (probably the latest one).
On that site click 'link' next to the chosen version and it will download the firmware zip file (this is the latest generic version: SP1A.211105.002, Nov 2021 --- if you have verizon or other choose the latest for that carrier).
Then you'll need to follow the directions near the top of that page that starts with the following:
Flashing instructions​The factory image downloaded from this page includes a script that flashes the device, typically named flash-all.sh (On Windows systems, use flash-all.bat instead).
etc etc etc.
If you have trouble, post back here and people will try to assist you.
cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, thanks for quick response. I am getting below error, not sure how to correct it.
Prudhvi89 said:
Hi, thanks for quick response. I am getting below error, not sure how to correct it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you're getting an error indicating you're trying to do something but it can't do it because the boot loader is locked. Obvious.
but here's what's not obvious; what are u trying to do? and why are u trying to do it?
from the looks of the output, yer trying to switch slots? why? there's nothing in those instructions I referenced above that tells u to switch slots? All yer gonna do is first unlock the bootloader and then use the flash all script.
maybe yer reading the wrong directions? Look again what I posted, find those exact words in the directions, do what's under that heading, not any other heading.
Currently I am not able to switch on my phone !!!
AsItLies said:
So you're getting an error indicating you're trying to do something but it can't do it because the boot loader is locked. Obvious.
but here's what's not obvious; what are u trying to do? and why are u trying to do it?
from the looks of the output, yer trying to switch slots? why? there's nothing in those instructions I referenced above that tells u to switch slots? All yer gonna do is first unlock the bootloader and then use the flash all script.
maybe yer reading the wrong directions? Look again what I posted, find those exact words in the directions, do what's under that heading, not any other heading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently I am not able to switch on the device !!
Prudhvi89 said:
Currently I am not able to switch on the device !!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That sounds ominous. You may now be afflicted with the pixel 'stuck in edl mode' problem, which unfortunately there's no solution for.
Try this; plug the device to pc using usb cable, then look in device manager, if you see the device connected with QUSB_BULK_CID (etc), that means it's in EDL mode.
if that's the case, follow this thread to learn more about that, but unfortunately there is no fix, as yet. And I've read just yesterday google is replacing devices with this issue for some.
Just an fyi, if your device is in this state, it's not anything you did, it's the fault of the device. Some believe it to be hardware failure, which seems the most plausible explanation.
AsItLies said:
That sounds ominous. You may now be afflicted with the pixel 'stuck in edl mode' problem, which unfortunately there's no solution for.
Try this; plug the device to pc using usb cable, then look in device manager, if you see the device connected with QUSB_BULK_CID (etc), that means it's in EDL mode.
if that's the case, follow this thread to learn more about that, but unfortunately there is no fix, as yet. And I've read just yesterday google is replacing devices with this issue for some.
Just an fyi, if your device is in this state, it's not anything you did, it's the fault of the device. Some believe it to be hardware failure, which seems the most plausible explanation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok got it !! Thanks for your prompt response & support.
The "Cannot load Android system, Your data may be corrupt" error is known as Rescue Party. Fortunately, fixing it should be relatively simple.
Try dirty flashing the factory image. Do not attempt to flash a patched boot image; leave everything stock.
If that fails, select "Factory data reset". It will wipe your phone, but it should reboot into Android system.
That bootloader message "Your device is corrupt. It can't be trusted" means that the signed key for Verified Boot somehow got screwed up. In this case, I would also recommend reflashing the factory image.
In both cases, the easiest option is to use the Android Flash Tool. It's like a GUI for flashing the factory image.

Did I just destroy my phone ? Japanese Pixel 4a can't boot after first reboot under LineageOS

Hi all,
I recently imported a used Japanese Pixel 4a (I wanted the jp-exclusive "Barely Blue" model), and immediately upon receiving it, installed LineageOS 19 on it.
The phone originally came in with some form of android 12 (I didn't check that very precisely unfortunately, could have been 12.0 and not 12.1)
Installing LineageOS went mostly fine, the phone managed to boot and I was able to use it for a few hours ... then wifi and mobile data stopped working. I thought rebooting would fix that, so I tried rebooting, but the phone never rebooted completely.
I've tried a lot of things to get it back to a working state :
Flash LineageOS again
Flash Google's Factory Image for the last 12.1
both via the online tool AND the flash-all.sh script
both on slot A and B
also tried the very old 10.0.0 JP-carrier-specific image
with a different USB cable
on a different USB2 port on my computer
on a USB3 port on my computer
Flash Google's Full OTA Image for the last 12.1
by using fastboot to boot into lineageos's recovery image
At one point in my attempts at making it work it even displayed the "Your device is corrupt" error message (it's now gone btw).
My phone is now in a state where I can reach fastboot, but everytime I try booting up any ROM (Google or LineageOS), it shows the boot animation for something like 2 seconds then shuts down.
Any help you guys could provide would be awesome
Stepland said:
Hi all,
I recently imported a used Japanese Pixel 4a (I wanted the jp-exclusive "Barely Blue" model), and immediately upon receiving it, installed LineageOS 19 on it.
The phone originally came in with some form of android 12 (I didn't check that very precisely unfortunately, could have been 12.0 and not 12.1)
Installing LineageOS went mostly fine, the phone managed to boot and I was able to use it for a few hours ... then wifi and mobile data stopped working. I thought rebooting would fix that, so I tried rebooting, but the phone never rebooted completely.
I've tried a lot of things to get it back to a working state :
Flash LineageOS again
Flash Google's Factory Image for the last 12.1
both via the online tool AND the flash-all.sh script
both on slot A and B
also tried the very old 10.0.0 JP-carrier-specific image
with a different USB cable
on a different USB2 port on my computer
on a USB3 port on my computer
Flash Google's Full OTA Image for the last 12.1
by using fastboot to boot into lineageos's recovery image
At one point in my attempts at making it work it even displayed the "Your device is corrupt" error message (it's now gone btw).
My phone is now in a state where I can reach fastboot, but everytime I try booting up any ROM (Google or LineageOS), it shows the boot animation for something like 2 seconds then shuts down.
Any help you guys could provide would be awesome
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Could you walk us through the steps you took to initially flash LOS?
Also, have you tried flashing versions other than 12.1 of Google's factory images?
Can you boot into recovery? Did you root LOS?
How did you import the device? Are you sure it was a trusty site/seller? Could they have tinkered something with the device to not make it work?
Could you walk us through the steps you took to initially flash LOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The very first time I flashed LineageOS I just followed these "official" installation instructions from the LineageOS website. The only mistakes I remember making were :
I forgot to really check that the phone actually was on the latest stock 12.1, the phone may have been on 12.0 or an older 12.1 prior to flashing LOS
I forgot to reboot between flashing LineageOS and GApps (MindTheGapps in my case), noticed my mistake, rebooted then flashed GApps again
After I saw things weren't working, I double checked the version numbers and the sha256 hashes of everything I had downloaded and they were all correct
Also, have you tried flashing versions other than 12.1 of Google's factory images?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes,
I tried flashing factory images of
10.0.0 (Android 10) QD4A.200805.001 (6583866) (JP carriers and Verizon)
12.1.0 (SP2A.220405.003, Apr 2022)
12.1.0 (SP2A.220505.002, May 2022)
12.1.0 (SQ3A.220605.009.A1, Jun 2022)
12.1.0 (SQ3A.220705.003.A1, Jul 2022)
13.0.0 (TP1A.220624.014, Aug 2022)
Can you boot into recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes
Did you root LOS?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No
How did you import the device? Are you sure it was a trusty site/seller? Could they have tinkered something with the device to not make it work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By asking a person who's used to proxying things, this phone was from a listing on rakuten, it came from this seller. Since it came in with stock 12 (or 12.1, don't remember), I think it's unlikely they tinkered with it
Stepland said:
I forgot to really check that the phone actually was on the latest stock 12.1, the phone may have been on 12.0 or an older 12.1 prior to flashing LOS
I forgot to reboot between flashing LineageOS and GApps (MindTheGapps in my case), noticed my mistake, rebooted then flashed GApps again
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
These likely have nothing to do with the issue you're facing.
Since you're able to boot into recovery, would you be open to try to flash literally any custom ROM (with the provided custom recovery), and see if that works?
You can flash whatever you like, since you said you wanted to go for LOS, I'd recommend you flash PixelExperience, since it's the closest to that (I think). You can download the regular or the plus edition, doesn't really matter. Make sure you not only download the build (flashable zip), but also the recovery image.
I assume you're familiar with the process of flashing custom ROMs. Should you be unfamiliar, I followed this guide when I first flashed a custom ROM on my 4a.
(If you don't feel like watching a video made for newbies, here are some notes I took a while back, just so I can know I never skip a step):
Spoiler: Flashing steps
adb reboot bootloader
fastboot devices
fastboot flash --slot all boot <img_name>.img (i think this can be skipped?)
use power buttons to enter recovery mode
apply update
apply update over adb
adb sideload <zip_name>.zip
*/ if you don't want to root, you can skip everything below /*
reboot recovery (to change to active slot so that magisk flash goes to correct slot)
apply update over adb
adb sideload <magisk_name>.zip
Oh my GOD thank you SO much I'm finally getting somewhere !
I tried flashing PixelExperience, both recovery and the ROM itself, the flashing part went well.
Then I rebooted and the following things happened in order :
static google screen
phone reboots (before the animated G even appeared)
PixelExperience screen that warns "your data may be corrupt you may need to perform a factory reset"
I chose the factory reset / wipe data option
phone reboots
boot animation that lasts WAY longer than in any of my previous attempts, goes as far as 3/4 of the progress bar
phone reboots before reaching the welcome screen
PHONE SUCCESFULLY REACHES THE SETUP/WELCOME SCREEN ON THE NEXT BOOT
phone seems to freeze for a moment
"Bluetooth keeps stopping" message pops up
phone reboots + reaches welcome screen a few times
phone reboots, reaches welcome screen, then plays the "charging" chime (didn't hear it before even though it was plugged in the whole time)
It has now been a solid 10 minutes and my phone is showing the welcome screen and hasn't crashed !?!
What should I do to troubleshoot what caused the crashes ?
Thank you SOOOOOO much for your help so far !
Stepland said:
PixelExperience screen that warns "your data may be corrupt you may need to perform a factory reset"
I chose the factory reset / wipe data option
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, yeah, my mistake. You are supposed to perform a factory reset whenever you flash a different ROM. Step can only be skipped when performing a dirty flash.
Stepland said:
It has now been a solid 10 minutes and my phone is showing the welcome screen and hasn't crashed !?!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What do you mean by "showing the welcome screen"? Can you use your device? Can you log in to your Google account and set it up? If we don't take Bluetooth crashing into account, would you be able to use your device regularly?
Stepland said:
"Bluetooth keeps stopping" message pops up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stepland said:
[...]the phone managed to boot and I was able to use it for a few hours ... then wifi and mobile data stopped working.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See, these malfunctions you get regardless of the OS makes me think somebody tinkered with your phone/gave you a faulty unit to begin with.
You could try to flash any / of / these kernels to see if they stop the "bluetooth crashed" notification. If you do flash a new kernel, I'd suggest you do another factory reset after the kernel has been flashed (and before you boot your device up). Just to make sure nothing stays in cache and no configurations remain that could cause this error again.
If that doesn't help, for starters, I would suggest you flash radio.img provided by Google on this site. Make sure you download the one corresponding to your build number (which you can find out by going to Settings -> About phone -> Build number (it will be at the very bottom of the page)).
You can flash this downloaded radio.img using "fastboot flash radio radio.img"
If that doesn't help either, I would try to use the Android Flash Tool. I assume the PixelExperience you downloaded is A12.1, so I would choose the latest 12.1 version in the Flash Tool. Be sure you have the "Wipe Device" and "Force Flash all Partitions" boxes ticked!!
Lada333 said:
What do you mean by "showing the welcome screen"?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It reached the setup assistant you are presented with the first time you power on a phone, without crashing
Lada333 said:
Can you use your device? Can you log in to your Google account and set it up? If we don't take Bluetooth crashing into account, would you be able to use your device regularly?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no :
Wi-Fi doesn't work
I can access the Wi-Fi menu in the settings, I can "turn it on" but it never finds any network. My other phone is doing just fine on my home wi-fi so it's not just that there's no network reachable​
my SIM card is not recognized
Not much to say, I placed it in and the phone says it has no SIM card inserted, even after I reboot​
it takes many attempts to successfully boot the phone
Last reboot took 8 tries​
Surprisingly, Bluetooth seems to be working just fine ? I was able to connect to a bluetooth speaker and play some sounds
Lada333 said:
You could try to flash any / of / these kernels to see if they stop the "bluetooth crashed" notification. If you do flash a new kernel, I'd suggest you do another factory reset after the kernel has been flashed (and before you boot your device up). Just to make sure nothing stays in cache and no configurations remain that could cause this error again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried blu_spark, exact same problems :
Takes many attempts before a "successful" boot
Wi-Fi broken
Can't detect my SIM card
Lada333 said:
If that doesn't help, for starters, I would suggest you flash radio.img provided by Google on this site. Make sure you download the one corresponding to your build number (which you can find out by going to Settings -> About phone -> Build number (it will be at the very bottom of the page)).
You can flash this downloaded radio.img using "fastboot flash radio radio.img"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That worked almost perfectly !
fastboot was refusing to flash radio when the phone was on fastbootd, regular fastboot worked just fine, I also flashed with --slot all because ... why not ?
After that the phone booted just fine on the FIRST TRY ! Wifi and mobile data both work !
Unfortunately it's still a bit unstable, after the first boot the phone shut down after about 10 minutes (while I was playing back a youtube video, if that's of any importance ?). It rebooted just fine without crashing even once, and it's now been running for half an hour without a problem.
If that doesn't help either, I would try to use the Android Flash Tool. I assume the PixelExperience you downloaded is A12.1, so I would choose the latest 12.1 version in the Flash Tool. Be sure you have the "Wipe Device" and "Force Flash all Partitions" boxes ticked!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well actually it was 13, so I tried flashing 13. it all went fine ! The phone rebooted fine on the first try, wifi and mobile data both work ... I'm speechless, I don't even understand what I did that made it work ... but it works !
I'll try using the phone for a few days and report back any problems if I don't forget about it.
Thank you so much for your help ! I owe you big time
Well uh, the joy was short-lived. The phone lasted a couple hours before shuting down and going back into a short series of failed boot attemps, but now every failed boot attempt gets noticeably "further" in the boot animation than they did at the time of my initial post.
The phone managed to boot yet again, wifi + data + bluetooth still work.
Keeping an eye on it for now
Stepland said:
Well uh, the joy was short-lived. The phone lasted a couple hours before shuting down and going back into a short series of failed boot attemps, but now every failed boot attempt gets noticeably "further" in the boot animation than they did at the time of my initial post.
The phone managed to boot yet again, wifi + data + bluetooth still work.
Keeping an eye on it for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I honestly don't have any experience with custom ROMs on Pixels, but if you want to return to bone stock, you can use the Android Flash Tool. Since you've been using custom firmware, make sure you check the Force flash all partitions option.
Otherwise, you can refer to my guide to flash the factory firmware and root using Magisk.
Yup, that's what I did to get it to its current state.
The phone is still unstable, it rebooted itself twice just this morning.
If this is a hardware issue, how do I diagnose it ?
Stepland said:
Yup, that's what I did to get it to its current state.
The phone is still unstable, it rebooted itself twice just this morning.
If this is a hardware issue, how do I diagnose it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you tried a stock rom, a custom ROM , with all the same results it's probably a hardware issue, have you noticed excessive heat coming from the phone? You could always trade it in for a 6a and get 300.00 credit as long as the screens good and it turns on.
hammered58 said:
have you noticed excessive heat coming from the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes in fact I have ?! How did you guess that, that's weirdly specific ?
It was heating up a bit, at least enough to be noticeable and to feel abnormal but not uncomfortable. I can't remember if it got warm while it was doing its updates or before. I would have guessed it was just working pretty hard if it had been happening during some updates. Weirdly enough now that it's doing nothing it's not warm anymore
hammered58 said:
You could always trade it in for a 6a and get 300.00 credit as long as the screens good and it turns on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hmm, that's good to know. I think I'll pass tho, I chose the 4a specifically because it's small and lightweight while not being a completely out-dated phone, the 6a would take me back to more or less the same size and weight as my current phone (xiaomi vince) which I find too big and heavy. Oh the things I'd do for a flagship phone that's like, actually small
Stepland said:
Well uh, the joy was short-lived. The phone lasted a couple hours before shuting down and going back into a short series of failed boot attemps, but now every failed boot attempt gets noticeably "further" in the boot animation than they did at the time of my initial post.
The phone managed to boot yet again, wifi + data + bluetooth still work.
Keeping an eye on it for now
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As the others have pointed out as well, it is likely a hardware malfunction. Your radio partition (?) was likely corrupt, so we got rid of that, but if random reboots still happen PLUS your device overheats, it's 99% not a software issue.
Not sure about the RMA process, since you imported the device from overseas. Try contacting your POS?
Stepland said:
Yes in fact I have ?! How did you guess that, that's weirdly specific ?
It was heating up a bit, at least enough to be noticeable and to feel abnormal but not uncomfortable. I can't remember if it got warm while it was doing its updates or before. I would have guessed it was just working pretty hard if it had been happening during some updates. Weirdly enough now that it's doing nothing it's not warm anymore
Hmm, that's good to know. I think I'll pass tho, I chose the 4a specifically because it's small and lightweight while not being a completely out-dated phone, the 6a would take me back to more or less the same size and weight as my current phone (xiaomi vince) which I find too big and heavy. Oh the things I'd do for a flagship phone that's like, actually small
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your right though,, it's the size and weight of the 4a that brought me here in the first place so I can see your point in not switching, good luck!!
You seem really ticked off, I'm sorry if my answer came out as snarky or something ? that really wasn't the intent
Nevermind, completely misread your answer, non-native english speaker moment
Hm, just when I was about to post that the phone seemed to be working fine because it hadn't rebooted for 30+hours ... it just rebooted again.
And yeah it also got warm again while I was installing some apps ... so uh ... no luck
Stepland said:
And yeah it also got warm again while I was installing some apps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not necessarily an issue. Installing apps uses the CPU, which, in term, generates heat.
What we and hammerhead meant by 'the phone heating up' is it randomly becoming inexplicably hot.
Like for example when it's just sitting on your desk, not doing anything. No notifications popping up constantly, no music/video playback, nothing. Just when it's supposed to be in deep sleep.
This app is rather outdated and you need to type in 3 adb commands for the advanced stats to show up, but it still works perfectly for finding out if any apps are draining the battery in the background and to see if you have any wakelocks.
You could give it a shot, install it, enable in settings -> general "App Usage," "Device Usage Access" and "Record History," and wait a few days, see if you have any apps misbehaving.
Again, I'm still leaning toward it being a hardware issue, but hey, worth a try.
I give up, it just has to be a hardware defect.
Since with stock 13 it looked like the phone was almost stable (it would only reboot every 10 hours or so) I tried using it for a day, unfortunately it quickly went back to the exact same state it was in when I created this thread : the phone won't boot, it crashes two seconds into the boot animation.
Still, massive thanks to everyone who helped me through this !
I ordered a replacement.
If anyone wants the broken one my DMs are open

Suddenly my phone bricked. Need help

Phone was working ok yesterday all day, then I has to take a flight to another city and timezone. When I arrived everything still was ok for about 1 hour, then I wanted to login in the hotel wifi and it wasnt showing the networks. Tried turning on mobile data ando it wasnt turning on either. Rebooted the phone, didn't work. Then I tried to go to the settings and I got an error message "Settings isnt working" and shuts the window. Another message that suddenly appears is HTC Mobile data Lite isnt working.
Tried with info settings > settings > clear data and cache. Didnt work.
Rebooted by holding power and volumen buttons, didnt work.
Went to boot options it says is locked and that ”File" wasnt found.
They boot to recovery gets stuck on the red warning with a triangle image.
Lastly the phone got stuck on reboots, after I do they security pattern it shows they splash screens and logos, reboots and asks for the pattern again.
Never flashed or did something with system files or kernels on this phone.
Wanted to try factroy reset but when I was able to go to the home screen and connect the phone to a Mac using the app AndroidFile Manager..? It said 8gb available to select, which seemed wrong as my phone was almost 60gb full, so wasnt sure it was going to be a good backup.
Any help on what can I do to backup ando solve the issue?
Thanks!
Clear system cache if that's an option.
Factory reset.
If that doesn't get it it will need a reflash. The flight may have caused a Single Event Upset, which is more likely to happen at high altitudes.
The hotel wifi is also suspect, root kit.
Lastly it could be a mobo failure or other hardware issues.
Is possible to clear cache if I can't access home screen? Any chance of backup before factores reset?
I don't think was wifi, didnt have a chance to connect to it or something
I think your stock rom has encrypted your phone's memory . If you want to S-OFF you can try a TWRP recovery otherwise you can install a RUU rom at home. All your data will be destroyed.
Figured out how to wipe partition cache...didn't help. Still stuck on boot loops.
All your data will be destroyed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So there is no method to pull my data out of the device before trying to flash something into it?
Try starting it in safe mode. May take a few tries.
If you get it into safe mode, grab the data.
That's probably your last hope.
This is one big reason I always use a phone that supports an SD card. I use the SD card as the data drive; all critical data goes here. I then redundantly and regularly backup the SD card.
The data drive provides a buffer if the OS crashes/burns and most times is unaffected.
Everything I need to do a full reload/restore is on my data drive. It's time staggered backed up on multiple flashsticks and hdds.
I've lost whole databases before; lessons from the U of hard knocks tend to stick... and suck.
blackhawk said:
Try starting it in safe mode. May take a few tries.
If you get it into safe mode, grab the data.
That's probably your last hope.
This is one big reason I always use a phone that supports an SD card. I use the SD card as the data drive; all critical data goes here. I then redundantly and regularly backup the SD card.
The data drive provides a buffer if the OS crashes/burns and most times is unaffected.
Everything I need to do a full reload/restore is on my data drive. It's time staggered backed up on multiple flashsticks and hdds.
I've lost whole databases before; lessons from the U of hard knocks tend to stick... and suck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already tried safe mode before your reply. Didn't work either.
Oh well, gonna go for the factory reset then.
Thanks for your help.
xmago said:
Already tried safe mode before your reply. Didn't work either.
Oh well, gonna go for the factory reset then.
Thanks for your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try a few more times... play with it.
Been trying, keeps rebooting after entering the security pattern.
I can go to emergency call, it shows com.android.phone is not working but if I click wait after a while it shows the phone UI, I can take screenshots and move the volume bars... one time I don't know how or why, I left the phone while I read something else, on the pattern screen and I had the "Do you want to transfer files" message ... so this gives me hope that I will be able to either go to the system 1 time, or that the ADB is detected so I can pull data.
Tried fastboot boot twrp.img from power shell, but got the warning device won't boot. I guess because I didn't unlocked it and wipe the data first.
Found stock ROM that matches my CID/MID/Carrier, etc. Can I use this to flash something into my phone and fix the booting problem without wiping data?
xmago said:
Found stock ROM that matches my CID/MID/Carrier, etc. Can I use this to flash something into my phone and fix the booting problem without wiping data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is likely in the user data partition itself. Start flipping firmware around all bets are off. Be a lot safer if you could get it into safe mode to retrieve the data.
blackhawk said:
The problem is likely in the user data partition itself. Start flipping firmware around all bets are off. Be a lot safer if you could get it into safe mode to retrieve the data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gonna keep trying to enter system then, maybe I get lucky.
The zip I downloaded had other zips inside and I can't open or extract them, windows says they are not valid. So I downloaded a different ROM from a different site, and had the same issue. Is this normal? Don't want to be flashing corrupt zip files obviously
xmago said:
Gonna keep trying to enter system then, maybe I get lucky.
The zip I downloaded had other zips inside and I can't open or extract them, windows says they are not valid. So I downloaded a different ROM from a different site, and had the same issue. Is this normal? Don't want to be flashing corrupt zip files obviously
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only boot loop I had where I needed data eventually booted into safe mode by itself after a couple tries at normal booting, convenient.
The next time it happened, a few days latter I was ready, lesson learned, always backup data.
As for the files, you're in deeper then I ever had to go. A factory reset be easier and safer if the rom isn't the source of corruption. You got yourself between a rock and a hard place. Personally I would have written the data off by now and factory reset. Of course that's because almost all the data was backed up.
Use the exact same rom.
Someone here can spot what's wrong though with your methods... have patience.
Seems I'm screwd. Did a factory reset, now I'm stuck on the Internet configuration screen after selecting language. Networks don't appear and I got the same "HTC Mobile Data Lite" error screen saying isn't working.
The top bar has a lock and only NFC is turned on. Can't pass that screen.
xmago said:
Seems I'm screwd. Did a factory reset, now I'm stuck on the Internet configuration screen after selecting language. Networks don't appear and I got the same "HTC Mobile Data Lite" error screen saying isn't working.
The top bar has a lock and only NFC is turned on. Can't pass that screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try pulling the sim card.
blackhawk said:
Try pulling the sim card.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Didn't have one, then I inserted it again, no change. This was the original problem when I got in to the hotel, couldn't turn on wifi or mobile data.
Not sure what else to try. Wanted to try with a custom ROM or something, but can't unlock bootloader, because I can't get the identifier token since I can't get to the debug settings to turn on OEM unlock.
Fastboot oem unlock command is giving me an error.
The status of my software (on the bootloader) says modified, not sure if is it because I tried to boot a twrp.img (but afaik I understood should have been wiped after a reboot)
Extracted the zips with the RUU tool and got some img files, maybe I should try to flash some of those files.
Before you try anything else get the right procedure from an expert here. Otherwise you may trash the one or two shots you might have have.
I'm not that expert but there are members here that are. Sorry to see you having so much trouble...
I had the same problem,
This is processor fault .
the solution that i found to solve this problem is turn off the phone and heat the back cover under the camera using heatgun or hairdyer for about 30sec, don't make it too hot, then power up the phone and long press hardly the back cover under camera using your tumbs while HTC logo comes up. This makes my phone succesed booting up and the signal show up again. Once the phone turn up, just backup everything.
If the signal not showing up and wifi not working , you can use bluetooth tethering or using "gnirehtet" for reverse usb tethtring from computer.
*important : when the phone turn on, go to setting to delete the lock pattern/pin to make your phone not locked.

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