Bootlooping with Android 12 beta preview

[jet flyer]

TL;DR- I'm trying to get back to Android 11 but I only have access to the fastboot menu since my phone is bootlooping. I'm fairly certain I hadn't enabled USB debugging when the phone was fully functional so I'm not sure if I can use ADB to do so. I also don't have the bootloader unlocked

I downloaded the 12 beta preview last week to try the new features, some UI bugs understandably but was mostly fine. A couple days ago while the screen was off and I just had the phone in my hand it randomly activated SOS mode so after a brief panic and cancelation of the 911 call I opted out of the beta immediately. The next morning after using my phone a bit I picked it up and noticed it was rebooting and was a little warm, and it's been bootlooping since then. I still remember the Andoid 12 UI being active so I'm pretty sure it hadn't reverted to the "new" 11 firmware yet.
I'm trying to revert back to 11 using the ADB on my PC, but I realized that I'm pretty sure I hadn't enabled USB debugging when my phone was still functional, so I'm not sure how to bypass that if I can at all. The web firmware flasher tool does detect my phone, but can't properly connect and I assume it's because the USB debugging isn't enabled.
Before I tried using the ADB I had attempted to perform a factory reset to fix the bootloop and the log messages said it was successfully done, but that didn't get it out of the loop.

 

[v12xke]

@jet flyer
I didn't see the word "locked" or "recovery" anywhere in your post. If you are bootloader unlocked, you use fastboot to flash a full image. If you are BL locked, that should have been in your TL;DR. If you are BL locked, you can still flash a full OTA without having usb debug enabled. You just need to have the latest fastboot/adb binaries installed. Download the rescue OTA, put it in your adb folder and then from recovery mode, use the update via adb option. You do NOT need usb debug enabled to do this. You do however need a working Recovery mode. If you are BL locked and cannot access recovery that is the end of the road.

 

[jet flyer]

Sorry for the delayed response wanted a day off so I had enough time to properly deal with this. No it's not unlocked, edited OP to indicate that.
I only downloaded adb last week so that should be the most recent, are the fastboot binaries included in that install or is that something separate?
Using this video for help on how to run adb

I get the device connected sound on my PC when I select install from ADB on the recovery menu and I have ADB running at the C:\adb folder location. when I do the adb devices command I get this

'adb' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.
using the powershell I got the long list of text that's mentioned in the video after typing \adb but I still get a similar, but different, error when doing the devices command trying to confirm it's connected
Since this is probably just an error on my part not doing the right commands or something I'm hopping on the xda discord, I'll post here if I get it figured out

 

[murphyjasonc]

Download platform tools from here https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools. Unzip it and then put the file that you want to side load in the same folder. I prefer PowerShell. Type adb sideload "file name.zip. That might not work if USB debugging isn't checked. If it doesn't try this.
Transfer the download OTA file to your device’s internal or external storage. Don’t put it inside any folder as the system won’t be able to find it.
Next up, boot your device to recovery.

1. From recovery, navigate to the Apply Update from SD Card option using Volume Keys. Press the Power key to confirm your selection.
2. Similarly, use the Volume keys to highlight the OTA.zip file and the Power key to install it. Once the process finishes, you could then use the Reboot system now option to boot your device back to OS

 

[jet flyer]

ok finally got something to run on my phone but got an error, here's the file paths and what I typed just in case

And here's what the phone says, sorry about the marginal focus my backup pixel 2XL is doing it's best with the reflective screen. The relevant messages start right after the purple of the IR focusing laser reflection

one of the first errors is E: footer is wrong
and Error 21: signature verification failed
I recall hearing on one of those videos or guides I read that something has to be digitally signed, but this is a direct download from the Android website, wouldn't be already be signed?

 

[v12xke]

ok finally got something to run on my phone but got an error, here's the file paths and what I typed just in case
View attachment 5333167
And here's what the phone says, sorry about the marginal focus my backup pixel 2XL is doing it's best with the reflective screen. The relevant messages start right after the purple of the IR focusing laser reflection
View attachment 5333175

one of the first errors is E: footer is wrong
and Error 21: signature verification failed
I recall hearing on one of those videos or guides I read that something has to be digitally signed, but this is a direct download from the Android website, wouldn't be already be signed?

Sorry for the delayed response, but If you use "reply" to a post the user will get an email notification and so respond more quickly. I normally check this board once a week. Yes, there is one zip file from Google that contains all the binaries you need for adb/fastboot. Yes the image coming from Google is signed. They even include the file hash so you can verify the file is a mirror image and un-corrupted. I'm going to continue down the adb method because it is fool proof and you may not be able to "push" the file to your device and use the sdcard method.

I'm not sure you have added your adb folder to your PC's path statement and this could be causing an issue. If you add this folder to the path, you can call up adb from any folder. However if you have the ota image in the same adb folder, and you navigate to that same folder before typing commands it will still work. I'm not seeing any of your inputs on your photo, so I can't check that. You can easily copy/paste text from the command window so we can clearly see what you are typing and the response back. What response are you getting to "adb devices" and "adb version" ? Until you get back your phone's serial number as a response, you are not connected properly. You can PM me for more assistance or use the reply button on this note. Best of luck.

 

[jet flyer]

Sorry for the delayed response, but If you use "reply" to a post the user will get an email notification and so respond more quickly. I normally check this board once a week. Yes, there is one zip file from Google that contains all the binaries you need for adb/fastboot. Yes the image coming from Google is signed. They even include the file hash so you can verify the file is a mirror image and un-corrupted. I'm going to continue down the adb method because it is fool proof and you may not be able to "push" the file to your device and use the sdcard method.

I'm not sure you have added your adb folder to your PC's path statement and this could be causing an issue. If you add this folder to the path, you can call up adb from any folder. However if you have the ota image in the same adb folder, and you navigate to that same folder before typing commands it will still work. I'm not seeing any of your inputs on your photo, so I can't check that. You can easily copy/paste text from the command window so we can clearly see what you are typing and the response back. What response are you getting to "adb devices" and "adb version" ? Until you get back your phone's serial number as a response, you are not connected properly. You can PM me for more assistance or use the reply button on this note. Best of luck.

Ah sorry, still getting used to the specifics of this forum. Thanks for checking though.
I do get the serial number back as a response to verify I'm properly connected, I just didn't do it in that specific instance to avoid posting that online. And yes I did add it to the path(as far as I understand, that's just a convenience thing though?) but I'm still running it from the ADB folder just to be sure.
I'll go ahead and type here what commands I did and what the phone log says, since it's not in focus in the picture.

on adb I typed .\adb sideload coral-[specific file version].zip
adb response: Total xfer: 0.00x

on my phone which was on the load from adb screen it said this:

Now send the package you wan to apply
to the device with "adb sideload <filename> . . .
Supported API: 3
Finding update package. . .
Verifying update package. . .
E:footer is wrong
Update package verification took 0.5 s (result 1).
E:Signiture verification failed
Error: 21

Install from ADB completed with status 2.
Installation aborted.

Then it tried one more time automatically with the exact same text except taking 0.6 seconds but still failing and the same error messages. Should I just download the latest package (now the June update) and try again, or did I do something wrong? The file explorer window is where I opened the powershell from and where the file was extracted to. What does error 21 mean?

 

[v12xke]

Ah sorry, still getting used to the specifics of this forum. Thanks for checking though.
I do get the serial number back as a response to verify I'm properly connected, I just didn't do it in that specific instance to avoid posting that online. And yes I did add it to the path(as far as I understand, that's just a convenience thing though?) but I'm still running it from the ADB folder just to be sure.
I'll go ahead and type here what commands I did and what the phone log says, since it's not in focus in the picture.

on adb I typed .\adb sideload coral-[specific file version].zip
adb response: Total xfer: 0.00x

on my phone which was on the load from adb screen it said this:

Now send the package you wan to apply
to the device with "adb sideload <filename> . . .
Supported API: 3
Finding update package. . .
Verifying update package. . .
E:footer is wrong
Update package verification took 0.5 s (result 1).
E:Signiture verification failed
Error: 21

Install from ADB completed with status 2.
Installation aborted.

Then it tried one more time automatically with the exact same text except taking 0.6 seconds but still failing and the same error messages. Should I just download the latest package (now the June update) and try again, or did I do something wrong? The file explorer window is where I opened the powershell from and where the file was extracted to. What does error 21 mean?

Sorry, I don't know what error 21 means. Trying the latest image is not going to hurt at this point. Make sure you post the complete file name of the image you are trying to flash. I think there may be bootloader version mismatch that is causing the errors. Verify and post your bootloader version (fastboot menu) and OS version (recovery menu). Have you tried doing a factory reset from recovery and retrying? At this point I would keep searching "rescue ota" for tips and hints. Pasting your screen would be best, rather than retyping. Best of luck!

 

[jet flyer]

@jet flyer
I didn't see the word "locked" or "recovery" anywhere in your post. If you are bootloader unlocked, you use fastboot to flash a full image. If you are BL locked, that should have been in your TL;DR. If you are BL locked, you can still flash a full OTA without having usb debug enabled. You just need to have the latest fastboot/adb binaries installed. Download the rescue OTA, put it in your adb folder and then from recovery mode, use the update via adb option. You do NOT need usb debug enabled to do this. You do however need a working Recovery mode. If you are BL locked and cannot access recovery that is the end of the road.

So I read up and Error 21 is because the bootloader is locked. I have the latest bianaries installed like you mentioned, is there something else I was missing in my process?

 

[v12xke]

So I read up and Error 21 is because the bootloader is locked. I have the latest bianaries installed like you mentioned, is there something else I was missing in my process?

Because your bootloader is locked, you cannot flash a full image . You have to flash an OTA instead.
Secondly, the OTA you choose has to match your current bootloader version or it won't work.
Read the instructions again for flashing a rescue OTA via recovery.
1. Have you accessed the phone's recovery menu and used the update via adb option?
2. What is your current bootloader version? (recovery menu)
3. What is the full name of the file you are attempting to flash? (OTA)
https://developers.google.com/android/ota

 

[jet flyer]

Because your bootloader is locked, you cannot flash a full image . You have to flash an OTA instead.
Secondly, the OTA you choose has to match your current bootloader version or it won't work.
Read the instructions again for flashing a rescue OTA via recovery.
1. Have you accessed the phone's recovery menu and used the update via adb option?
2. What is your current bootloader version? (recovery menu)
3. What is the full name of the file you are attempting to flash? (OTA)
https://developers.google.com/android/ota

ohh, I never noticed that tab at the top that says OTA, I get it now that those are needed for non-unlocked bootloaders. I see all the different versions, what does my bootloader version have to do with one of those? I only see the dates pertaining to the monthly updates, how do I know which one is for my bootloader version? I found the section specific to the Pixel 4XL

 

[jet flyer]

That worked!!! Thanks for the help, kinda annoyed it was as simple as that tab at the top left of the page saying OTA updated, but glad to have my phone back after 6 weeks. My Pixel 2XL did it's best but a lot of the apps I use for my action camera or drone stuff didn't even work with it haha

 

[v12xke]

That worked!!! Thanks for the help, kinda annoyed it was as simple as that tab at the top left of the page saying OTA updated, but glad to have my phone back after 6 weeks. My Pixel 2XL did it's best but a lot of the apps I use for my action camera or drone stuff didn't even work with it haha

Happy to hear you are back up and running! Cheers.