How To Guide [GUIDE] Pixel 6 Pro "raven": Unlock Bootloader, Update, Root, Pass SafetyNet

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

Do you guys have a donation link?

For my part, I too help folks for free. I used to take donations, but I also needed the money more at the time. I don't even remember if I ever officially removed the way to donate to me from XDA. I haven't bothered to check for the way I had set to donate to me in XDA's settings since they changed their software the other year. I wasn't very active for several years until recently as well. I'm just always glad when I can help someone.

I have pretty low expectations these days, too. I'm happy just when there's no drama going on, especially if it's not drama coming from me!

Thanks very much for this info. I was not planning to use the Pixel 5 version unless it was known to be safe. I will wait for a Pixel 6 version to be released. I have other ways to back up apps and data but want to be able to have a system partition, etc., backup as well. Thanks for the come-back!

For what it's worth, TWRP for one phone 99.99999% of the time will not work on any other phone, but especially not different years' phones from the same manufacturer, and on top of that, the Pixel 6/Pro uses a completely different CPU than the Pixel 5 and previous. I'm sure there were exceptions, and I even have some ideas of what they were, but they were a drop of rain in the sea, relatively speaking. Besides all this, TWRP has to be gotten to work on Android 12 in general - for any phone - first. If/when that is done (could be months, could be a year, could be never), then work getting TWRP to work on the P6 & P6P could start in earnest. So it's a long road...

There's times I want to show people just how lucky they are I put up with them

 

[Az Biker]

You don't get away from me that easily

Holding the Vol Down button while rebooting halts at bootloader, then user can select recovery from menu

I thought the user was asking for instructions to get into the bootloader. I answered, then reread his comment and realized I misread it.

You're quick on the copy/paste, musta already been quoting the other comments and grabbed mine. Wasn't even live for 20 seconds before I deleted it (unless you used secret squirrel stuff to get it)

 

[Dragon Kumera]

For what it's worth, TWRP for one phone 99.99999% of the time will not work on any other phone, but especially not different years' phones from the same manufacturer, and on top of that, the Pixel 6/Pro uses a completely different CPU than the Pixel 5 and previous. I'm sure there were exceptions, and I even have some ideas of what they were, but they were a drop of rain in the sea, relatively speaking. Besides all this, TWRP has to be gotten to work on Android 12 in general - for any phone - first. If/when that is done (could be months, could be a year, could be never), then work getting TWRP to work on the P6 & P6P could start in earnest. So it's a long road...

Now I may be completely and totally wrong.

But couldnt we just do fastboot boot twrp.img and if it works it boots if not just turn phone off and reboot? As long as its not flashed we should be able to recover.

 

[bleez99]

Did you read this part?

There is only 1 way to end up with an accidentally wiped device, and that's using the flash-all script without editing it. But, since I know that's not quite what you're asking...

You simply do not need to worry about verity/verification anymore. Period. Just update your device, patch the new boot image with Magisk 23016, and chive on.


Specificity is important here - Canary 23016 incorporates the boot image header fix. Magisk Canary has been around for a long time, and anything older than 23015 won't work.


Not yet, current Canary is still 23016, but an update is well on the way - and it will support patching to inactive slots, simplifying the update for users who prefer OTA.

OTAs on rooted Pixels have always been iffy. I don't know exactly what causes them to fail, but they usually require a few tries.

Sideloading should always work, though.

My comment on Canary was completely tongue in cheek!

I just had a bad experience with my 5 before the latest canary was released with the fstab fix. Wipe was forced due to a corrupted device, I landed in recovery with try again or wipe. Of course try again didn't work, and I'd rather not have to sit for an hour or three restoring my phone.

Thanks to those that responded.

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

Now I may be completely and totally wrong.

But couldnt we just do fastboot boot twrp.img and if it works it boots if not just turn phone off and reboot? As long as its not flashed we should be able to recover.

On paper, everything sounds great. I'm not a betting man, though. I wouldn't do this if I were you (or anyone reading this). I could be wrong but I'm given to understand that no phone that has Android 12 has a working TWRP yet.

 

[Dragon Kumera]

On paper, everything sounds great. I'm not a betting man, though. I wouldn't do this if I were you (or anyone reading this). I could be wrong but I'm given to understand that no phone that has Android 12 has a working TWRP yet.

Ya ofc we will need a working android 12 twrp. (But from my experience with pixel xl gen 1 that had twrp from like android 8.0 and before still worked even on android 11 kinda). Though Maybe significant changes were made in 12 to make this null and void.

I would love a way to back up everything local side like twrp did but guess I will have to be careful .

 

[V0latyle]

Now I may be completely and totally wrong.

But couldnt we just do fastboot boot twrp.img and if it works it boots if not just turn phone off and reboot? As long as its not flashed we should be able to recover.

Yep. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Won't hurt anything.

My comment on Canary was completely tongue in cheek!

I just had a bad experience with my 5 before the latest canary was released with the fstab fix. Wipe was forced due to a corrupted device, I landed in recovery with try again or wipe. Of course try again didn't work, and I'd rather not have to sit for an hour or three restoring my phone.

Thanks to those that responded.

Interesting. I had no such issue on my P5. I rooted the 12 Beta with 23001, then updated to 23015 when USNF was ported to Zygisk.

You're quick on the copy/paste, musta already been quoting the other comments and grabbed mine. Wasn't even live for 20 seconds before I deleted it (unless you used secret squirrel stuff to get it)

I SEE EVERYTHING
Nah but for real mods have the godlike ability to see deleted posts...and they can still be replied to even in Deleted Purgatory

 

[Az Biker]

I SEE EVERYTHING
Nah but for real mods have the godlike ability to see deleted posts...and they can still be replied to even in Deleted Purgatory

That's the secret squirrel stuff I was talking about

 

[dilligaf56]

Don't really see any point in backing up the "system" partition. You could simply flash the stock image. With root solutions like Magisk, it's extremely unlikely that you'd need to modify the system partition. You'd just use the mirror partition in Magisk.
And since you are likely rooted, if you need a good solution to backup apps and data, I'd recommend OAndBackupX

Yes, I'm rooted. Magisk really has come a long way since I first started using it on my rooted V20. Back then, you really needed nandroid backups in case something got b0rked on a re-flash.
Took a quick look at OAndBackupX. Once I get everything sorted and tweaked, I will install it and give it a shot. Thanks!

 

[Dragon Kumera]

That's the secret squirrel stuff I was talking about

*now to be evil and delete mod* mhahahahahahahahahahha.



ok offtopic but i couldnt resist.

 

[dilligaf56]

Ya ofc we will need a working android 12 twrp. (But from my experience with pixel xl gen 1 that had twrp from like android 8.0 and before still worked even on android 11 kinda). Though Maybe significant changes were made in 12 to make this null and void.

I would love a way to back up everything local side like twrp did but guess I will have to be careful .

Yes, I have two LG V20s - one running rooted stock Oreo (8) and the other Lineage 18 (11); the same version of TWRP works great with both OS; but of course, they were running on the same hardware. I'm finding that Android 12 and the Pixel 6/pro are horses of a completely different color. Still, I hope that TWRP does come out with a working version for us, even if the use-case is less obvious.

 

[V0latyle]

*now to be evil and delete mod* mhahahahahahahahahahha.



ok offtopic but i couldnt resist.

The running joke is that I'm on the hook for multiple bans, never knowing when they'll hit

 

[n3owin]

TLDR > Cant update from Nov to Jan update on my Rooted Pixel 6 Pro

Hey there! first timer here
Im trying to update my rooted Pixel 6 Pro from 12.0.0 (SD1A.210817.036, Nov 2021) to 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022). I can see the update when i manually search for it on the phone but when it downloads it fails and says "Couldn`t update. Installation problem" with no further explanation.
So i tried the sideload method from this thread. No luck here as well. I got the 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022) update from the OTA link (Not sure if thats the right one but its the only one available that says JAN 2022) and when i get to the recovery i adb sideload drag file, the file uploads and fails with the following error > error applying update 7 kinstalldeviceopenerror
From googling that error it says that im trying to upload an update meant for another phone. Im sure that im downloading the "raven" one for the pro model.

Any advice would be helpful since i have been scratching my head for the last 6 hours.

A bit more info >
im using the same PC, usb cable, usb port that i used when rooting for the first time.
I rooted the phone following this thread without disabling Android Verified Boot since it said its not needed.
I have the Canary Magisk 23016. Disabled all modules and super rights to apps before trying both methods of update.
Im using the "Tiny ADB & Fastboot" to upload the update to the phone.
Its have not done any previous updates on this phone, rooting was done on Nov update since it came with it.

Extra question > Somebody posted that they had similar problem to mine and they updated with the <Update and Root Factory Image>. (1)If i try that will the phone revert to factory settings and (2) can i use the master root.img that i saved from the first root or do i need to patch it again?

P.S. Thanks a lot for the original guide!

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

TLDR > Cant update from Nov to Jan update on my Rooted Pixel 6 Pro

Hey there! first timer here
Im trying to update my rooted Pixel 6 Pro from 12.0.0 (SD1A.210817.036, Nov 2021) to 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022). I can see the update when i manually search for it on the phone but when it downloads it fails and says "Couldn`t update. Installation problem" with no further explanation.
So i tried the sideload method from this thread. No luck here as well. I got the 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022) update from the OTA link (Not sure if thats the right one but its the only one available that says JAN 2022) and when i get to the recovery i adb sideload drag file, the file uploads and fails with the following error > error applying update 7 kinstalldeviceopenerror
From googling that error it says that im trying to upload an update meant for another phone. Im sure that im downloading the "raven" one for the pro model.

First, you shouldn't try to take an actual over-the-air update when you're rooted. It's rare that it would work while rooted, and at least with some phones, there's a chance trying to take the OTA while rooted will soft-brick your device (recoverable, obviously, because it's a soft-brick).

In Developer Options, you can disable the automatic OTA update check.

I recommend the other set of instructions in the OP "Spoiler: Update and Root Factory Image". I know there are folks who use the OTA file. I've always found it simpler and never had a problem in the last five years using the full factory image method.

You shouldn't use any modified/repackaged ADB/Fastboot. As the OP says, always use the (official) very Latest SDK Platform Tools. You should check for new Platform Tools every single month before you manually update your phone. Also always check to make sure you have the latest official Google USB Driver installed, at least if you're using Windows.

Extra question > Somebody posted that they had similar problem to mine and they updated with the <Update and Root Factory Image>. (1)If i try that will the phone revert to factory settings and (2) can i use the master root.img that i saved from the first root or do i need to patch it again?

If you follow the instructions in the OP, you won't factory reset your phone. The key is to remove the "-w" from the flash-all.bat (I'm assuming you're using Windows), or the same from the flash-all.sh if you're using Linux.

I can't answer your (2) because I don't do it that way and never have. I'm sure someone else who is knowledgeable about that method will chime in.

 

[V0latyle]

The key is to remove the "-w" from the flash-all.bat (I'm assuming you're using Windows), or the same from the flash-all.sh if you're using Linux.

Or don't use the script at all and learn the commands...but I'm old fashioned like that

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

Or don't use the script at all and learn the commands...but I'm old fashioned like that

I'm old without as much fashion!

 

[Lughnasadh]

I'm old without as much fashion!

I don't know....that new purple looks pretty fashionable on you

 

[Carousser]

TLDR > Cant update from Nov to Jan update on my Rooted Pixel 6 Pro

Hey there! first timer here
Im trying to update my rooted Pixel 6 Pro from 12.0.0 (SD1A.210817.036, Nov 2021) to 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022). I can see the update when i manually search for it on the phone but when it downloads it fails and says "Couldn`t update. Installation problem" with no further explanation.
So i tried the sideload method from this thread. No luck here as well. I got the 12.0.0 (SQ1D.220105.007, Jan 2022) update from the OTA link (Not sure if thats the right one but its the only one available that says JAN 2022) and when i get to the recovery i adb sideload drag file, the file uploads and fails with the following error > error applying update 7 kinstalldeviceopenerror
From googling that error it says that im trying to upload an update meant for another phone. Im sure that im downloading the "raven" one for the pro model.

Any advice would be helpful since i have been scratching my head for the last 6 hours.

A bit more info >
im using the same PC, usb cable, usb port that i used when rooting for the first time.
I rooted the phone following this thread without disabling Android Verified Boot since it said its not needed.
I have the Canary Magisk 23016. Disabled all modules and super rights to apps before trying both methods of update.
Im using the "Tiny ADB & Fastboot" to upload the update to the phone.
Its have not done any previous updates on this phone, rooting was done on Nov update since it came with it.

Extra question > Somebody posted that they had similar problem to mine and they updated with the <Update and Root Factory Image>. (1)If i try that will the phone revert to factory settings and (2) can i use the master root.img that i saved from the first root or do i need to patch it again?

P.S. Thanks a lot for the original guide!

Hope the below helps you and anyone else in a similar spot as I just was in the last hour.

I just updated from Nov 2021 patch (SD1A.210817.036) to Jan 2022 patch (SQ1D.220105.007) using factory image method. I was previously rooted on the Nov 2021 build using community/alpha magisk. Below was what I did

1. Download the factory image zip for the .007 build and extract some where on machine (for me, Win10)
2. On phone (still on .036 build), Copy over the boot.img file to phone
3. Open magisk app (I installed canary 23016 over the previous alpha/community version from Nov when root was still in flux), Magisk -> Install -> Select and Patch a File -> Select boot.img you copied over (for the SQ1D.220105.007 build) and let it patch
4. Copy over the newly patched image file to some local machine. Make a copy and call it like master-boot.img
5. Reboot into bootloader
6. Update bootloader from bootloader image in .007 directory (bootloader-raven-slider-1.0-8013568.img); reboot into bootloader
7. Update radio from radio imagein .007 directory (radio-raven-g5123b-93368-211225-b-8029609.img); reboot into bootloader
8. Update the update zip (image-raven-sq1d.220105.007.zip); it went into fastbootd immediately for me, watch terminal to know when update is done. When done, reboot to bootloader
9. Boot into the master-boot.img made from step 3/4
10. Open magisk and do Magisk -> Install -> Direct Install
11. Once done rebooting, open Magisk app
12. Disable riru; Enable Zygisk in settings and configure denylist if applicable; hide magisk app; reboot
13. Install MagiskHide Props Config (6.1.2) and safetynet-fix (2.2.1) from GH links in first post; reboot

I am updated on the SQ1D.220105.007 build from the SD1A.210817.036 build, have persistent root, pass safetynet, and did not need to wipe phone (thank god lol).
Pretty much, on your current build, patch the SQ1D.220105.007 boot.img using updated magisk app, then follow the steps for factory image/safetynet.

Btw - I am on a carrier unlocked P6P, 256GB.

 

[Az Biker]

Or don't use the script at all and learn the commands...but I'm old fashioned like that

Meh... erase two characters VS type in a bunch of characters from memory...

I'm taking the poor memory, lazy, fewer clicks equals more chicks route!

Remove the -w, live longerer and prosperer

 

[V0latyle]

Meh... erase two characters VS type in a bunch of characters from memory...

I'm taking the poor memory, lazy, fewer clicks equals more chicks route!

Remove the -w, live longerer and prosperer

*scoff* Troglodyte.