[Guide] How to root the Pixel 3a with or without twrp & take OTA updates once rooted

[pbanj]

Received my first OTA update request from the system this month, and was a bit surprised to have received it. I was under the impression that if you have modified the system partition in any way, that would make your phone ineligible for an OTA update. Since I did modify that early on, and did not receive OTA updates for June and July, I figured at some point I would have to sideload one.

Perhaps since this is an a/b device, Google services has been updated to ignore modified systems and now pushes OTA updates whatever the state of that partition.

With the most recent OTA update, has anyone tried to do that update with a modified system or even while still rooted and not received a temper block verification error as mentioned in the Magisk OTA update guide? Should I reflash the boot (to unroot) and system (to unmodify) images before attempting the OTA update?

Also changed is that turning off system updates in developer options no longer prevents the OTA update from downloading and being installed to the inactive slot. All that now seems to be required is hitting that system restart to update button which will probably just sets the inactive slot to be active on reboot.

It looks like that Magisk OTA update guide is now obsolete for a/b devices, or at least Pixel devices. So how does this change the OTA procedure? Still unroot or not? Unmodified system matters or not? Should I install Magisk to the inactive slot before or after clicking the restart to update button now sitting in my settings app?

If any users have this already figured out, would appreciate the info -- thx...

i took the aug update following the magisk guide and it worked just fine. i did have to reboot and then start the guide as when i tried doing it after i noticed there was an update it wouldnt even start. but reinstalling magisk, rebooting, then restoring the stock image allowed it to update just fine. i will say though, sideloading the update is waaaaaaaaaaay faster like 3-4x faster

 

[sic0048]

So, i'm in trouble here.

Followed OP, used method 2 to intsall magisk.

unzipped the boot image, loaded it to p3axl. had magisk patch it. then flashed it to my current boot slot.

rebooted to no command and then after a few reboots, im on a white g boot loop.

any idea how i can get out of this? stock or actually install magisk i dont mind which.

edit; was on latest beta

Are you using the latest Canary version of Magisk? You must use the Canary version if you are trying to root on any of the Android 10/Q releases. I suspect you are on the normal "stable" version and this this is why it isn't working - or you downloaded the zip for the 3a OS and not the 3a XL because the boot.img file is different between the two phones.

Normally I would say to boot into TWRP, flash the Magisk removal zip tool to remove all aspects of Magisk, and then flash the latest Canary version to get your phone working again, but TWRP doesn't work on the 10/Q releases yet either.

I think you are going to be forced to reflash the Android 10/Q beta release again and then download the Canary build using the Magisk app and changing the "Update Channel" under settings to Canary. Then follow the instructions to root the phone, but make sure you download and unzip the correct boot.img file for your phone and OS version.

But if that doesn't work for some reason, then you will have to go the full nuclear option which would be to flash your phone with a Pie release, upgrade your Magisk to the Canary releases and then reinstall the beta.

 

[duh1]

i took the aug update following the magisk guide and it worked just fine. i did have to reboot and then start the guide as when i tried doing it after i noticed there was an update it wouldnt even start. but reinstalling magisk, rebooting, then restoring the stock image allowed it to update just fine. i will say though, sideloading the update is waaaaaaaaaaay faster like 3-4x faster

A bit confused by what you say happened in your case -- you saw you had an OTA update, button said to restart to finalize installation, and you following the guide used the Manager to uninstall Magisk before rebooting and the device then wouldn't boot, or did you simply hit the OTA update restart button without uninstalling Magisk and the device wouldn't boot? Did you receive an error message at any time? Thx...

 

[pbanj]

A bit confused by what you say happened in your case -- you saw you had an OTA update, button said to restart to finalize installation, and you following the guide used the Manager to uninstall Magisk before rebooting and the device then wouldn't boot, or did you simply hit the OTA update restart button without uninstalling Magisk and the device wouldn't boot? Did you receive an error message at any time? Thx...

well i figured it would be like my wife's phone and if it found the update it would ask if i wanted to install. so i went to check but it was already in the middle of trying to download it or some ****. so i backed out, closed settings and went and told magisk to restore the image. then i went back into settings to see if it would work. it still just sat at the same ****. so i had magisk reinstall itself, and then rebooted. after it rebooted i immediately opened magisk manager and had it restore the image, then i went into settings and then into system update. this time it worked. but god did it take forever, like i would say it took 30+min to finish, i then had magisk install itself in the other slot and rebooted. i dont think ill ever be doing it that way again as it took way longer than sideloading the update and flashing the new boot image, that takes like maybe 10min. hopefully that cleared everything up

 

[crackedvenom2]

Could at least make the images for people like me who did everything correct but the stupid phone just bootloops every time. Guess I'll go back to an old version then. Oh well.

E: Canary works. Should maybe put that in the OP so people know one might not work.

 

[pbanj]

Could at least make the images for people like me who did everything correct but the stupid phone just bootloops every time. Guess I'll go back to an old version then. Oh well.

E: Canary works. Should maybe put that in the OP so people know one might not work.

Are you on pie? Because stable Magisk should work just fine on pie

 

[duh1]

well i figured it would be like my wife's phone and if it found the update it would ask if i wanted to install. so i went to check but it was already in the middle of trying to download it or some ****. so i backed out, closed settings and went and told magisk to restore the image. then i went back into settings to see if it would work. it still just sat at the same ****. so i had magisk reinstall itself, and then rebooted. after it rebooted i immediately opened magisk manager and had it restore the image, then i went into settings and then into system update. this time it worked. but god did it take forever, like i would say it took 30+min to finish, i then had magisk install itself in the other slot and rebooted. i dont think ill ever be doing it that way again as it took way longer than sideloading the update and flashing the new boot image, that takes like maybe 10min. hopefully that cleared everything up

Yeah, I see what you did there -- as I mentioned in my earlier post, Google has changed their OTA update procedure, at least for the Pixels. Even if you have Auto updates turned off in Developer options, the OTA update will still download in the background and install itself to the inactive slot, it just won't restart the device without your permission. It seems like Google no longer cares about the tamper block verification on these a/b devices, so no checks are run on boot or system before the installation.

You interrupted that download and pushed it back to the beginning of that installation process. That's what probably took so long, as the download and hash check in the background is much slower than a direct download. However if you had let it finish, you would have seen the restart button under system updates which would have set the inactive slot with the newly installed system to be active.

Before you click that button, you would simply go into the Manager and install Magisk to the inactive slot, then click the restart and you should be rooted under the new update. No restoration of the boot image would need take place on your system beforehand, and in fact when the update is completed, the inactive slot contains your previous rooted system.

We are looking for further confirmation to make sure this is the case, as it would make future OTA updates much easier...

 

[pbanj]

Yeah, I see what you did there -- as I mentioned in my earlier post, Google has changed their OTA update procedure, at least for the Pixels. Even if you have Auto updates turned off in Developer options, the OTA update will still download in the background and install itself to the inactive slot, it just won't restart the device without your permission. It seems like Google no longer cares about the tamper block verification on these a/b devices, so no checks are run on boot or system before the installation.

You interrupted that download and pushed it back to the beginning of that installation process. That's what probably took so long, as the download and hash check in the background is much slower than a direct download. However if you had let it finish, you would have seen the restart button under system updates which would have set the inactive slot with the newly installed system to be active.

Before you click that button, you would simply go into the Manager and install Magisk to the inactive slot, then click the restart and you should be rooted under the new update. No restoration of the boot image would need take place on your system beforehand, and in fact when the update is completed, the inactive slot contains your previous rooted system.

We are looking for further confirmation to make sure this is the case, as it would make future OTA updates much easier...

I'm pretty sure what I interrupted was the varefication step as there was no progress bar. Also the download was the fastest part, what took forever was the optimizing apps portion it was doing before it got to telling me to reboot

 

[musiv2]

Does this method work on Verizon variant?

 

[sic0048]

Does this method work on Verizon variant?

No. You cannot unlock the bootloader on the Verizon variant and therefore it cannot be rooted currently. It will take some sort of exploit to root. There may never be a root method for the Verizon model.

 

[Zrbtfm]

Android Q is here... Enjoy

 

[pbanj]

ok i added stock images for both of the android q updates. i also added a pre patched image for it and the magisk manager the user said to use it with. only reason i provided the patched one is because some users had issues patching their own. if you don't like it you know where to put your opinion.

 

[Dixon Butz]

ok i added stock images for both of the android q updates. i also added a pre patched image for it and the magisk manager the user said to use it with. only reason i provided the patched one is because some users had issues patching their own. if you don't like it you know where to put your opinion.

Good timing.
I patched my boot.img with canary build. Flashed it and it didn't root.
So I used that pre-patched img. Got root. Grassyass

 

[pbanj]

Good timing.
I patched my boot.img with canary build. Flashed it and it didn't root.
So I used that pre-patched img. Got root. Grassyass

np. not sure why some are having issues and some aren't.

 

[Dixon Butz]

np. not sure why some are having issues and some aren't.

Always worked for me before. I didn't feel like trying again. I am sure I did it correctly.

 

[mike9976]

Could some one tell me how to turn bubbles on thx

 

[HpNoTiQ]

For those wondering, it's Magisk 19.3 with the /data/cache/.disable_magisk check effectively forced to always succeed, so it will only boot into Core-Only Mode with that image. Hopefully we get a TWRP before the July update, but if not, I'll try to remember to update it.

I've updated to Q but without uninstalling some module and now I'm in a bootloop if i flash magisk.
Would you update it to last boot image for Q (Booting with old one doesn't work and TWRP can't mount data/system on Q.)

Thanks in advance,

 

[alliance1975]

ok i added stock images for both of the android q updates. i also added a pre patched image for it and the magisk manager the user said to use it with. only reason i provided the patched one is because some users had issues patching their own. if you don't like it you know where to put your opinion.

Thanks @pbanj. I screwed up and couldn't install magisk onto 10. I did a factory wipe and followed your instructions from op and now have root.

 

[bonfire62]

Just FYI, I had a problem with TWRP where it wouldnt see any of the files on 10(Q). I had to download the boot.img, patch it with canary magisk (19.4 i think), boot using that boot img, then install magisk directly. Have root again

 

[sic0048]

Just FYI, I had a problem with TWRP where it wouldnt see any of the files on 10(Q). I had to download the boot.img, patch it with canary magisk (19.4 i think), boot using that boot img, then install magisk directly. Have root again

TWRP doesn't work with Android 10 yet.