So today’s blog is about Android OTA Updates on Google Pixel and How to Sideload Android OTA Updates on Google Pixel. So today we will discuss about it point wise so here we go:-
To check How to Sideload Android OTA Updates on Google Pixel
Well in Android 12, is the next major version of Android, and it is now available on the stable channel. Google has also started testing the beta version of Android 12L. To the happy owners of the Google Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, be among the first to see what’s new!
The update of the operating system offer. If you have one of the older Pixel smartphones and an older stable version and are wondering how to install Android 12 or 12L, just scroll down as we have a tutorial for you. Note that Google is making an incremental OTA available to existing beta users to switch to the stable version, but they can also choose to update it manually. You need a PC/Mac with ADB and Fastboot installed to successfully complete the installation process.
Sadly, the whole process was quite fast which was out of users’ minds, and while many Android fans know exactly what to do, not everyone is that adept at updating their phone. First, there are some differences in the types of updates that you can install on your Android phone.
You can also force your smartphone to check out pending updates by going to Settings> System> System update> Check for updates. This process is slightly faster and can be done as soon as an announcement confirms that an update is available. However, as with the OTA notification method, it may take a while for files to be available as well.
Navigate to ADB Sideload
Using the volume buttons again, scroll down to Apply update from ADB and select this option using the power button. This will open a mostly blank screen with text near the bottom telling you how to download an OTA.
Connect your smartphone to a computer with ADB tools installed
As long as you’ve followed the first steps of installing the ADB tools on your computer and placed them in an easily accessible folder or drive, you can connect your smartphone to your computer if you haven’t already. You should open a command prompt or terminal window within the directory or folder where you have saved the platform-tools file.
A quick method here is to locate the correct folder and type “cmd” in the address bar in Windows, or press shift and click and tap Open PowerShell window here. PowerShell is effectively the same as Command Prompt, so don’t worry too much as it works the same, but you’ll need to use Mac-specific commands here.
Enter the sideload command
As long as everything is in place, you can now download the OTA file. In Windows, make sure the command prompt is pointing to the ADB tools folder and type:
Then you will need to insert the filename of the original .zip folder that you downloaded from Google and hit Enter to start the OTA side download process on your Pixel. If everything works fine, you should see a dialog box on your computer and phone showing the side download process and the installation process. This can take a while, and in some rare cases, the process may fail. If so, just start the process again as it may take several tries for reasons we don’t fully understand yet. Reboot your phone.
Once the OTA installation is complete, you will return to recovery mode. The last step to jump to the new update is to select the option Restart now with the power button. Once your phone has rebooted, it should be safely updated with the latest OTA. An easy way to check if you have followed all these steps correctly and downloaded the OTA file is to go to Settings> About phone> Android version. This should be on the exact patch that you have downloaded, indicating that you have successfully completed the process.
Download the latest OTA file for your device
Before trying to transfer an OTA file to your Google Pixel, you will need a few things. First of all, we need the latest OTA update available for your specific Pixel device. Google hosts all official builds for each Pixel on the dedicated developer site.
But before we going to discuss the following features you must remind us that It is very important to choose the correct OTA file for your device as this method will fail if you try to install the wrong build for your device. You can find OTA files with carrier-specific dates and builds for each Pixel released here for each device (with code names) below:
- Google Pixel (“sailfish”)
- Google Pixel XL (“marlin”)
- Google Pixel 2 (“walleye”)
- Google Pixel 2 XL (“taimen”)
- Google Pixel 3 (“blueline”)
- Google Pixel 3 XL (“cross hatching”)
- Google Pixel 3a (“sargo”)
- Google Pixel 3a XL (“nice”)
- Google Pixel 4 (“flame”)
- Google Pixel 4 XL (“coral”)
- Google Pixel 4a (“sunfish”)
- Google Pixel 4a 5G (“bush”)
- Google Pixel 5 (“redfin”)
- Google Pixel 5a (“barbet”)
- Google Pixel 6 (“oriole”)
- Google Pixel 6 Pro (“raven”)
Enable USB debugging
First of all, make sure you have Developer Options enabled on your Pixel. You can do this by heading to your device Settings> About phone, now tap on “Build number” until a message confirms that you have developer options enabled.
If we talk about the process so Now you need to
head to Settings> System> Advanced> Developer Options (you may need to expand a hidden menu for this). Scroll down to the “Debugging” section and tap on the “Allow USB debugging” option. It’s also worth noting that if you want to downgrade again at any time, you may want to enable “OEM Unlocking,” but it’s important to note that you can still download OTA updates to your Pixel without this option being enabled.