Manually taking an OTA while rooted - Google Pixel 4a Questions & Answers

Hi,
Since I got my phone and rooted it in March I haven't received any OTAs.
From what I gathered, one could easily do so manually, but I did not see a how-to and my knowledge of pixels and recent android stuff is limited.
Could someone perhaps explain how I can do this? Also, should I take the OTAs by order (April and then May) or is it okay to just update to the latest one?
Cheers.

Yeah... My last phone still got offered OTAs when rooted but not this pixel. I guess Google can see that your BL is unlocked, or that you have Magisk and just doesn't allow the normal OTA?
Each month you gotta go fetch the factory image, remove the -w from the script and flash it. Then get Magisk to patch the boot.img and use fastboot to flash it (or boot it and flash from Magisk).
There's a slightly smaller full ota package you can use instead. It is not destructive by default but it takes a bit more work to get the boot.img out (payload dumper).

I see.
Can I install the May update straight away, or should I get the April one first?
Also, what is the name of the script? Is it flash-all.bat? Should I edit it within the zip or extract and rezip?

Ruttix said:
can I install the May update straight away, or should I get the April one first?
Also, what is the name of the script? Is it flash-all.bat? Should I edit it within the zip or extract and rezip?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Both full ota and factory are complete upgrades. You can jump straight to the latest version.
The factory image zip expands and has flash-all scripts (.sh or .bat, depending on your os - windows is .bat). That's where you have to remove the -w from (fastboot -w update blah.zip). You install factory images by running the flash-all script.

Related

Have Systemless Root - Upgrading to Android 10?

My phone keeps bugging me to upgrade to Android 10. I have systemless root, magisk etc.
Is this safe to just do? Do I need to get the image from elsewhere and start over? I've had an update alert come through from Magisk announcing Android 10 compatibility, so I'm guessing that won't be an issue...
I really only wander in here whenever I get a new phone so I have no clue how this works.
you can update to android 10 just fine with magisk installed, however you will lose it once the upgrade is done. you will need to patch your boot image with magisk once you are on android 10.
Not sure what that means.
koberulz said:
Not sure what that means.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You. Will. Need. To. Patch. Your. Boot. Image. With. Magisk. After. You. Update. To. Android. 10.
I can read, dude.
What's a boot image? How do I patch it? What are the actual steps here?
koberulz said:
I can read, dude.
What's a boot image? How do I patch it? What are the actual steps here?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-xl/how-to/guide-pixel-xl-android-10-0-q-t3964112
So start the root process over, basically? Is there any point in doing the OTA update or do I just grab the latest image from the website?
Steps 7/8 say there's no TWRP for Android 10 yet, so how does that work?
koberulz said:
So start the root process over, basically? Is there any point in doing the OTA update or do I just grab the latest image from the website?
Steps 7/8 say there's no TWRP for Android 10 yet, so how does that work?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can not install twrp on android 10, you can still boot twrp though. you will not need twrp for the boot image patch.
update your phone to android 10, get the boot.img from the factory image of the version you updated to, using magisk manager patch that boot.img, boot to bootloader, flash the patched boot.img with
Code:
fastboot flash boot_a patchedboot.img
and
Code:
fastboot flash boot_b patchedboot.img
(or only flash for the boot of the current slot you are on, doesnt really matter)
Personally, on every monthly update I always flash the full factory image (deleting -w if I want to keep my stuff) and then reinstall Magisk and custom kernel by temporarily booting TWRP. I find it much less of a hassle, it applies to major upgrades too (as is your case) and it's guaranteed to work every time.
Flipz77 said:
Personally, on every monthly update I always flash the full factory image (deleting -w if I want to keep my stuff) and then reinstall Magisk and custom kernel by temporarily booting TWRP. I find it much less of a hassle, it applies to major upgrades too (as is your case) and it's guaranteed to work every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i usually do this also
Flipz77 said:
Personally, on every monthly update I always flash the full factory image (deleting -w if I want to keep my stuff) and then reinstall Magisk and custom kernel by temporarily booting TWRP. I find it much less of a hassle, it applies to major upgrades too (as is your case) and it's guaranteed to work every time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are monthly updates?
I've not been aware of anything at all until now, because now it's sending me a notification.
koberulz said:
There are monthly updates?
I've not been aware of anything at all until now, because now it's sending me a notification.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
December will be the last one, sadly

No ota updates after installing Magisk

Hi,
After installing Magisk i no longer receive OTA Updates. The safety net checks are ok. How can i fix this?
Thanks.
+1
Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
adrianppa said:
Hi,
After installing Magisk i no longer receive OTA Updates. The safety net checks are ok. How can i fix this?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK, your only choices are to sideload the OTA from https://developers.google.com/android/ota and re-root. You can also flash the factory image and re-root. Be sure to remove the -w from flash-all.bat/sh so you don't wipe your data. I prefer the factory image method. You can patch boot.img before flashing the image, which makes re-rooting a bit easier. I believe there have been some reports of OTA working again after flashing the factory image.
well you have root duh lol, off course otas will fail, at least they dont install unlike old times when install would be error
there are many ways to install but this is the easiest for me every month
each month download full system image
copy boot to phone and patch it with magisk apk, copy back to pc
apply full system image flash all.bat but remove the -w from the .bat (Edit the bat)
this will install the lastest ota but you wont lose any data or settings, everything well be okay
root is lost, now you have to root again
boot magisk boot image
apply direct install in magisk apk
restart
this has to be done every month
you can also uninstall magisk every month and let the ota download and install but that is even slower and annoying, this is how is done

Security Patch May and not able to get OTA.

Hey guys, i rooted my Pixel 4a like this: Link
This was on with security patch for May. Since then i havent gotten any OTA updates for later firmware updates for my Pixel 4a.
I was wondering, which method would work to update to the latest firmware without losing Magisk? I cant seem to find a way how to do this without losing data. Things change all the time and i dont know which tutorial actually works and wont brick my device.
Google doesn't offer OTAs tor rooted, maybe even just bootloader unlocked devices.
There's threads with guides for upgrading...
What I do (summarised) is
1 download the factory image
2 extract it and the embedded zip until you have boot.img
3 send that to the phone and use Magisk manager to patch it. Send it back to the pc
4 replace the -w in the flash_all script with --skip-reboot. Add these 3 extra lines to the end.
fastboot reboot-bootloader
sleep 5
fastboot boot patched.img
5 run the script
6 use Magisk manager to install (direct)
I haven't installed September yet, only just saw it was out.
a1291762 said:
Google doesn't offer OTAs tor rooted, maybe even just bootloader unlocked devices.
There's threads with guides for upgrading...
What I do (summarised) is
1 download the factory image
2 extract it and the embedded zip until you have boot.img
3 send that to the phone and use Magisk manager to patch it. Send it back to the pc
4 replace the -w in the flash_all script with --skip-reboot. Add these 2 extra lines to the end.
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot boot patched.img
5 run the script
6 use Magisk manager to install (direct)
I haven't installed September yet, only just saw it was out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks man, I used this tutorial https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/updating-your-rooted-pixel-4a-5g-on-windows.4213503/ , worked flawlessly. Seems to be very similar how you did it.

Pixel 4a Does Not Receive System Update Notification

The last System Update notification received was the Update from Android 11 to Android 12. It installed fine. Can keep up via sideload or a full manual flash, but why no notification of updates?
Are you bootloader unlocked and/or rooted?
I have never received an OTA notice or been able to do OTAs but I rooted as soon as I got my pixel 4a.
There was one update that was offered but it was strange, and was the first and only time a separate AU firmware was made.
My children have pixel 4as and get OTAs just fine.
a1291762 said:
Are you bootloader unlocked and/or rooted?
I have never received an OTA notice or been able to do OTAs but I rooted as soon as I got my pixel 4a
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bootloader unlocked and rooted from Day 1. I was notified of the update from A11 to A12 and was able to use the system OTA. Otherwise I have sideloaded or flashed the Factory Image.
Even with auto update off in Dev Options, all I read says one shiuld still receive notification of the OTA. Guess I'll contune to sideload
a1291762 said:
Are you bootloader unlocked and/or rooted?
I have never received an OTA notice or been able to do OTAs but I rooted as soon as I got my pixel 4a.
There was one update that was offered but it was strange, and was the first and only time a separate AU firmware was made.
My children have pixel 4as and get OTAs just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long after update release (usually 5th of the month or so) do they see their 4a updates?
I have a 4a, rooted and unlocked. When new updates come out (I check the https://developers.google.com/android/ota page), I just uninstall magisk from the phone, run the system update, then re-install magisk and re-root. I believe it was Monday night April 3 when I did it last. If you don;t mind the hassle of all the reboots, I find it an easy enough way to keep updated and rooted.
amphi66 said:
How long after update release (usually 5th of the month or so) do they see their 4a updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It can vary a little (I think sometimes google stages the roll out?), but it's normally pretty soon after. The April update was already offered and installed.
augggg said:
I just uninstall magisk from the phone, run the system update, then re-install magisk and re-root.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you get the new boot image for rooting after doing the OTA?
a1291762 said:
How do you get the new boot image for rooting after doing the OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do it by extracting/Magisk patching the boot.img from the Factory Image. Of course I had to sideload the OTA as it didn't show up in System updates.
a1291762 said:
How do you get the new boot image for rooting after doing the OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
For 4a, go to the latest factory image here, which is at the bottom of each phone's list of images: https://developers.google.com/android/images#sunfish
Download the factory image, then unzip the file. Go into the folder you get, then unzip the next zip file you see (starts with image-sunfish*), and look for the boot.img file. Should be 64mb
Thanks @augggg and @amphi66.
I use the factory image to upgrade each month. But since I have to download it, I see no value in doing an on-device OTA (ie. Uninstall Magisk, reboot, OTA, etc.)
@augggg mentioned uninstalling Magisk to OTA so I wondered if they had an alternative way of getting the boot image besides downloading the factory image or full OTA (which is a bit harder to unpack, but also includes the whole boot.img).
I suppose one could boot TWRP to extract the new boot.img from the phone and then use Magisk to patch that... But I feel like it'd end up being a lot more work than the few changed lines it takes to flash the factory image, and my download speeds aren't bad enough to make that faster
Since I have to download the full factory image inorder to patch the boot.img, I use the factory image to update as well.
But I would like to know the status of the technique to "uninstall-restore Images" in Magisk, not reboot, update via OTA, not reboot, "install to inactive slot" in Magisk, then finally reboot.
For me, an OTA system update is never found.
lbush said:
Since I have to download the full factory image inorder to patch the boot.img, I use the factory image to update as well.
But I would like to know the status of the technique to "uninstall-restore Images" in Magisk, not reboot, update via OTA, not reboot, "install to inactive slot" in Magisk, then finally reboot.
For me, an OTA system update is never found.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly. Worked for me once, but have not seen an OTA nofication since
Just a May followup. 10 days w/ innumerable System Update checks and still have not seen the auto-rollout of the May OTA Update. Yes, I can certainly sideload OTA or flash the (already downloaded) Factory Image, but is this a typical delay? I was thinking 2 or 3 days after release. Thanks.
amphi66 said:
Just a May followup. 10 days w/ innumerable System Update checks and still have not seen the auto-rollout of the May OTA Update. Yes, I can certainly sideload OTA or flash the (already downloaded) Factory Image, but is this a typical delay? I was thinking 2 or 3 days after release. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Gave up & sideloaded May OTA, followed by flashing the Magisk-patched boot.img to retain root. Still do not know why there was no OTA notification

Question Does Root blocks the ability to receive OTA updates?

True to my knowledge, that shouldn't have been the case [ because many have used the Install to Inactive Slot method on their Pixel devices]. But unfortunately, this is what I'm facing for a couple of months. Ever since I rooted my Pixel 6A on the February build, I didn't receive either the March or April update. I have to always take the longer route of using the Factory Image to update my rooted Pixel. So does a rooted phone block the ability to receive OTA updates, at least on the Pixel 6A?
Yes, you cant take an OTA if youre rooted. Its simpler to just manually flash the update anyway.
binary**# said:
True to my knowledge, that shouldn't have been the case [ because many have used the Install to Inactive Slot method on their Pixel devices]. But unfortunately, this is what I'm facing for a couple of months. Ever since I rooted my Pixel 6A on the February build, I didn't receive either the March or April update. I have to always take the longer route of using the Factory Image to update my rooted Pixel. So does a rooted phone block the ability to receive OTA updates, at least on the Pixel 6A?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What steps do you take to manually flash these updates and preserve root?
Msninmx said:
What steps do you take to manually flash these updates and preserve root?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disable all modules
Download the latest factory image
Extract Factory Image > Images folder > Boot.img
Patch boot.img via Magisk and send it to the platform tools folder.
Go to extracted Factory Image and edit flash-all.bat file via Notepad++
Change the last line command: fastboot -w update image.zip to fastboot update image.zip
Save the changes.
Transfer the entire Factory Image content to the platform tools folder.
Boot your device to Fastboot Mode
Run the flash-all.bat file and wait for flashing to complete
Once done, your device will boot to OS. Reboot it to Fastboot.
Now boot your device via Magisk patched boot file via fastboot boot file.img
Then use Magisk's Direct Install to get permanent root.
Finally, re-enable all the modules.
I have sent a video of this entire process to you, do refer to that as well [not sharing the video here as self-promotion isn't recommended here.
ctfrommn said:
Yes, you cant take an OTA if youre rooted. Its simpler to just manually flash the update anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just my personal opinion, but doing it via Magisk Direct Install saved me a lot of time and effort in the past. No need for a PC, no need to download the entire firmware, and no need for flashing anything via Fastboot either.
I flash multiple builds a day so it's not an issue for me

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