Themes / Apps / Mods 📳🔥PixelFlasher for Google Pixel 6 Support Thread.

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V0latyle

Forum Moderator
Staff member
Code:
(bootloader) slot-count:2
(bootloader) slot-fastboot-ok:a:yes
(bootloader) slot-fastboot-ok:b:yes
(bootloader) slot-retry-count:a:2
(bootloader) slot-retry-count:b:2
(bootloader) slot-successful:a:yes
(bootloader) slot-successful:b:no
(bootloader) slot-suffixes:_a,_b
(bootloader) slot-unbootable:a:no
(bootloader) slot-unbootable:b:no

Yeah, seeing pretty much the same thing, so far as I can tell. Most recently I reflashed slot A to see what'd happen to slot B, and sure enough, B's no longer booting, and more testing yielded the same pattern of results you got. I see a setActiveBootSlot(Slot slot) function in what @V0latyle is researching - does that function do something different than fastboot --set-active=x?

At any rate, that pretty much confirms this doesn't actually have anything to do with PixelFlasher doing anything *wrong*; I guess I was just misunderstanding the nature of A/B device slots, and they're intended more solely for seamless OTAs than for having two actual functional boot slots at the same time?
Yes, dual booting was never supposed to be possible. Note that there is only one slot for /data - the A/B layout only applies to the "critical" partitions - /bootloader, /radio, /boot, /system, /vbmeta, etc
If there's no way to have both slots bootable and switchable from the phone itself, it seems like flashing both slots might be redundant anyway.
It is. But if one slot fails to boot for whatever reason, the other slot will be up to date.
 

badabing2003

Recognized Contributor
Sep 17, 2012
4,699
8,619
IIRC, it's not possible to set variables in fastboot, correct? For example, you can't just use fastboot setvar?
Correct, that is my understanding as well.

Yes, dual booting was never supposed to be possible. Note that there is only one slot for /data - the A/B layout only applies to the "critical" partitions - /bootloader, /radio, /boot, /system, /vbmeta, etc
Yes I'm aware of that, however I was hoping it would be possible to boot both slots with the same data.
For example one with patched boot, the other stock.

It is. But if one slot fails to boot for whatever reason, the other slot will be up to date.
Given the findings
I think one time flashing to both slots would be more dangerous than flashing to inactive slot.

I can see the following scenarios.
Initial state:
  • slot a active and operational
  • slot b in good state, but not bootable (based on the above)
Scenario 1:
  • Something happens to slot a while in normal operation, and it becomes unbootable
  • we won't be able to boot to slot b because of the above findings.
Scenario 2:
  • We flash to both slots, and something goes wrong during flashing
  • Both slots are bad, hence not bootable.
Scenario 3:
  • We flash to Inactive slot b, and something goes wrong during flashing
  • Expectation is that slot a is still good and hence bootable
To get to the initial state on a factory device that only has one slot bootable we have two options:
  1. Flash to both slots and hope nothing goes wrong during flashing
  2. Flash to inactive slot
In case of 1, if something goes wrong, we're toast (similar to scenario 2)
In case of 2, if something goes wrong, hopefully we're still good (scenario 3)

So in all cases, flashing to both slots is worse than flashing to inactive slot.
However one needs to be mindfull of not attempting to boot to switched slot on a factory shipped phone before completing the flashing.

Did I get anything wrong?
 

tiiiit74

Member
Sep 1, 2022
18
5
Hello everyone, subject probably already discussed but I can't find despite my research :

What is the difference between a tP1a factory image versus a tQ1a ?

I am currently under the version 13.0.0 (TP1A.221105.002, Nov 2022) on my Pixel 6, flashed with Pixel Flasher.

But this month there is only the 13.0.0 (TQ1A.221205.011, Dec 2022) available.

Thank you in advance.
 

badabing2003

Recognized Contributor
Sep 17, 2012
4,699
8,619
Hello everyone, subject probably already discussed but I can't find despite my research :

What is the difference between a tP1a factory image versus a tQ1a ?

I am currently under the version 13.0.0 (TP1A.221105.002, Nov 2022) on my Pixel 6, flashed with Pixel Flasher.

But this month there is only the 13.0.0 (TQ1A.221205.011, Dec 2022) available.

Thank you in advance.
This should tell you what they mean.
 
Requesting help for what to do next when I was noob enough to not check the sha256 for the factory download and got an error...

was trying to upgrade from SQ3A.220705.001.B2
to TQ1A.221205.011
rooted

ironically, it said there was an error and still continued?! (not a good sign)

Code:
Path = D:\backups android\pixel6\22-0827\_installer\oriole-tq1a.221205.011-factory-c9a67c51.zip
Type = zip
Physical Size = 2404622434
ERROR: CRC Failed : oriole-tq1a.221205.011\image-oriole-tq1a.221205.011.zip
Sub items Errors: 1
Archives with Errors: 1
Sub items Errors: 1
Package ID: 1
Boot ID: 1
Package_Boot ID: 1

it then successfully patched the boot.img

I did the
Code:
Flash Both Slots:       True
(since I had read that going from 12 to 13 it was a good idea to keep from getting a bootloop if it tried to boot to slot B and get the 12.x vs the 13.x

everything was going good until

Code:
extracting system_ext.img (353 MB) to disk...ziparchive W 12-10 23:41:21 59216 51804] Zip: inflate zerr=-3 (nIn=01801640 aIn=16888 nOut=01805f00 aOut=31040)
fastboot: error:
failed to extract 'system_ext.img': Zlib error
rebooting to bootloader ...

so it was on fastboot and I tried to reboot and it would just go back to fastboot (guessing because the system files didn't get written...

so I redownloded the TQ1A.221205.011 factory image and checked the SHA256.

what do i do now, run from fastboot, recovery, etc?

Please help me get my phone back in working order.
Thanks in advance.

sanitized log attached
 

badabing2003

Recognized Contributor
Sep 17, 2012
4,699
8,619
Requesting help for what to do next when I was noob enough to not check the sha256 for the factory download and got an error...

was trying to upgrade from SQ3A.220705.001.B2
to TQ1A.221205.011
rooted

ironically, it said there was an error and still continued?! (not a good sign)

Code:
Path = D:\backups android\pixel6\22-0827\_installer\oriole-tq1a.221205.011-factory-c9a67c51.zip
Type = zip
Physical Size = 2404622434
ERROR: CRC Failed : oriole-tq1a.221205.011\image-oriole-tq1a.221205.011.zip
Sub items Errors: 1
Archives with Errors: 1
Sub items Errors: 1
Package ID: 1
Boot ID: 1
Package_Boot ID: 1

it then successfully patched the boot.img

I did the
Code:
Flash Both Slots:       True
(since I had read that going from 12 to 13 it was a good idea to keep from getting a bootloop if it tried to boot to slot B and get the 12.x vs the 13.x

everything was going good until

Code:
extracting system_ext.img (353 MB) to disk...ziparchive W 12-10 23:41:21 59216 51804] Zip: inflate zerr=-3 (nIn=01801640 aIn=16888 nOut=01805f00 aOut=31040)
fastboot: error:
failed to extract 'system_ext.img': Zlib error
rebooting to bootloader ...

so it was on fastboot and I tried to reboot and it would just go back to fastboot (guessing because the system files didn't get written...

so I redownloded the TQ1A.221205.011 factory image and checked the SHA256.

what do i do now, run from fastboot, recovery, etc?

Please help me get my phone back in working order.
Thanks in advance.

sanitized log attached
Initially, your firmware zip was corrupt, even though boot.img part was ok, the rest of the zip, specially the part where system_ext.img is stored is corrupt, hence it couldn't extract / flash.

Now that you have re-downloaded the firmware and checked the checksum, just repeat the processs (the steps) and you should be fine.
In the next version, I'll add functionality for PF to display SHA1 of the firmware this way you can check if it matches.
By the way, there is a newer Magisk than you're using.
 
Initially, your firmware zip was corrupt, even though boot.img part was ok, the rest of the zip, specially the part where system_ext.img is stored is corrupt, hence it couldn't extract / flash.

Now that you have re-downloaded the firmware and checked the checksum, just repeat the processs (the steps) and you should be fine.
In the next version, I'll add functionality for PF to display SHA1 of the firmware this way you can check if it matches.
By the way, there is a newer Magisk than you're using.
Thanks for the confirmation.
I did download again and checked the sha256.

Can I do it from recovery mode (pixelflaher gave me a notice that if I didn’t do it right it would brick) or should I do it from fastboot? If fastboot, it wasn’t detecting the phone from that fastboot menu….

Was doing the dual slot flash the right thing to do or should I have just done the flash in the primary and then go back and boot to the b slot after successful flash?

I’ll admit I had not updated my magisk recently and was going to check all updates after doing the flash… I had debated on disabling magisk to not have any bootloop issues.

Thanks for walking me through it.
 

badabing2003

Recognized Contributor
Sep 17, 2012
4,699
8,619
Thanks for the confirmation.
I did download again and checked the sha256.

Can I do it from recovery mode (pixelflaher gave me a notice that if I didn’t do it right it would brick) or should I do it from fastboot? If fastboot, it wasn’t detecting the phone from that fastboot menu….

Was doing the dual slot flash the right thing to do or should I have just done the flash in the primary and then go back and boot to the b slot after successful flash?

I’ll admit I had not updated my magisk recently and was going to check all updates after doing the flash… I had debated on disabling magisk to not have any bootloop issues.

Thanks for walking me through it.
If your phone gets into bootloader mode, PF should detect it and able to flash, do it in bootloader mode, in any case if PF detects your device, it should be able to switch to bootloader mode.

You can do either way, flash to both slots, or do one slot at a time, it's just easier if you select flash to both slots and let PF take care of it.

You don't have to disable / uninstall Magisk, although it is always a very good idea to disable modules (you can do so from within PF)
The modules I use, I keep them enabled because I know they have never caused any issues, your mileage may vary.
For reference these are the ones I use

Code:
    Magisk Modules:
        BuiltIn BusyBox                     enabled   1.0.3
        Axet's Call Recorder                enabled   v1.8.2
        Systemless Hosts                    enabled   1.0
        Magisk Bootloop Protector           enabled   v1.8.1
        Universal SafetyNet Fix             enabled   v2.3.1
        SQLite for ARM aarch64 devices      enabled   v1.3
 
If your phone gets into bootloader mode, PF should detect it and able to flash, do it in bootloader mode, in any case if PF detects your device, it should be able to switch to bootloader mode.

You can do either way, flash to both slots, or do one slot at a time, it's just easier if you select flash to both slots and let PF take care of it.

You don't have to disable / uninstall Magisk, although it is always a very good idea to disable modules (you can do so from within PF)
The modules I use, I keep them enabled because I know they have never caused any issues, your mileage may vary.
For reference these are the ones I use

Code:
    Magisk Modules:
        BuiltIn BusyBox                     enabled   1.0.3
        Axet's Call Recorder                enabled   v1.8.2
        Systemless Hosts                    enabled   1.0
        Magisk Bootloop Protector           enabled   v1.8.1
        Universal SafetyNet Fix             enabled   v2.3.1
        SQLite for ARM aarch64 devices      enabled   v1.3
thanks for all your help.
i re-ran PF when I got home and it did see the phone in fastboot and I was able to run it again and get it all updated.

i learn a little more every time I do this - like is used to when using twrp on my sgh-i337 and 1+5T

thanks again
 
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enigma2446

Senior Member
Jan 12, 2013
907
248
Florence, Montana
Google Pixel 6
ok so dumb question after reading this whole thread and now my head hurts lol. Can i use the most recent BETA OTA image for my pixel 6 and flash it useing this tool and all i have to do is select keep data for i dont lose anything? I ran into a issue i was rooted but magisk said stock boot image does not exist so i flashed the stock image via fastboot to be unrooted but the update says istallation problem when i try to update within the OS. Thats where im at.
 

badabing2003

Recognized Contributor
Sep 17, 2012
4,699
8,619
ok so dumb question after reading this whole thread and now my head hurts lol. Can i use the most recent BETA OTA image for my pixel 6 and flash it useing this tool and all i have to do is select keep data for i dont lose anything? I ran into a issue i was rooted but magisk said stock boot image does not exist so i flashed the stock image via fastboot to be unrooted but the update says istallation problem when i try to update within the OS. Thats where im at.
The verifications that are done by the OTA is the same if it is done correctly on the phone or from PF, so if it is failing on the phone it would also fail in PF.
On the other hand, dirty flashing full factory image does not have that issue.

Switching between beta and standard releases has some wiping requirements, / implications.
You need to read the beta docs and see if you are ok with those.

OTA is probably failing because your inactive slot is not stock.


Are there any YT videos showing PF in action? /how to use?
I don't think there is, I have not made one and no one has posted a video or referenced one made by someone else.

It could be helpful, I just don't have the bandwidth to deal with video making.
 
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TheProxyOne

New member
Dec 14, 2022
1
0
Hi, I just made account here, to say big thank you for the Pixel Flasher. I messed up during root process after flashing patched boot.img, phone stuck on google logo, but thanks to Pixel Flasher and XDA forum I could flash firmware again with keeping all data safe and finally gained root :)
 

enigma2446

Senior Member
Jan 12, 2013
907
248
Florence, Montana
Google Pixel 6
The verifications that are done by the OTA is the same if it is done correctly on the phone or from PF, so if it is failing on the phone it would also fail in PF.
On the other hand, dirty flashing full factory image does not have that issue.

Switching between beta and standard releases has some wiping requirements, / implications.
You need to read the beta docs and see if you are ok with those.

OTA is probably failing because your inactive slot is not stock.



I don't think there is, I have not made one and no one has posted a video or referenced one made by someone else.

It could be helpful, I just don't have the bandwidth to deal with video making.
I'm on TQ1A.221205.011 I thought that was beta. Would flashing the unmodified boot img to inactive slot fix the issue. Sorry about the double post.
 

Lughnasadh

Senior Member
Mar 23, 2015
6,094
7,538
Google Nexus 5
Huawei Nexus 6P
Hello!

I have Pixel 6 and Android 13 Beta 2.1 - T2B2.221216.008 https://developer.android.com/about/versions/13/download
"oriole-t2b2.221216.008-factory-24b71908.zip"

And I want to root.
I follow every step (patched, keep data).
It finish the process, no errors-
When phone starts and I check Magisk - I see installed - N/A.

Can anyone have some suggestions?


Tanel
Are you using a Pixel 7 patched boot image? If not, do so as that is needed to root on the Pixel 6 series running QPR2 betas.
 
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  • 1
    First of all: Awesome tool, I've been using it for quite a while now, always used it without problems.

    Now for my problem: I wanted to update my version from the december build to the one from february, so I downloaded the latest pixelflasher again, connected it with my phone, downloaded te latest image (factory) and patched it. I selected the patched file and I tried to flash it onto my phone but the phone reboots, and gets stuck in the 'Fastboot Mode' screen with a red triangle and an exclamation mark. It doesn't do anything unless I press 'Start' on the phone, after which pixelflasher fails because it can not find the device anymore:

    Code:
    2024-02-20 14:09:50 Getting device: 21041FDF6006UQ state  ...
    Rebooting device: 21041FDF6006UQ to bootloader ...
    Fastboot waiting for device: 21041FDF6006UQ for bootloader ...
    Timeout: [60] Fastboot could not detect device: 21041FDF6006UQ in bootloader mode
    
    2024-02-20 14:10:51 ERROR: Encountered an error while rebooting to bootloader
    Aborting ...

    and later:

    Code:
    2024-02-20 14:11:11 INFO: Flashing was aborted.
    This could be user initiated or a problem encountered during flashing.
    You might need to manually reboot your device.
    
    Updating connected devices ...

    I then tried the latest OTA, to see if that works. The OTA seems to work, but after putting it on my phone and rebooting, I'm stuck in the same 'Fastboot Mode' screen where I can only press Start. SO now my phone is updated, but I seem to have lost root.

    What should I do?
    Provide a support file.
    1
    Thank you, I attached the support file
    It looks like you have USB driver issue when your device is in bootloader mode.

    Code:
    Fastboot waiting for REDACTED: REDACTED for bootloader ...
    Timeout: [60] Fastboot could not detect device: REDACTED in bootloader mode
    
    2024-02-20 13:22:49 ERROR: Encountered an error while rebooting to bootloader
    Aborting ...
    
    
    2024-02-20 13:22:49 INFO: Flashing was aborted.
    This could be user initiated or a problem encountered during flashing.
    You might need to manually reboot your device.
    
    Updating connected devices ...
    
    ==============================================================================
     2024-02-20 13:23:51 User initiated Scan
    ==============================================================================
    
    2024-02-20 13:23:51 Scanning for Devices ...
    No Devices found.

    Which is why you couldn't flash the factory image, but were able to sideload OTA.
    However getting root would require the the use of fastboot (bootloader mode)
    Install the official Google USB drivers (link in PF's help menu) in both adb and bootloader modes and then you should be fine.
    If not, try different cable / usb port, but USB drivers should do the trick.
    1
    Thank you! That was it. There were no driver issues when it was booted up and connected, BUT in the fastboot mode it did not have the correct drivers installed apparently, I had an exclamation mark in the device manager of windows 11.

    It is now in the process of flashing but I'm sure it'll be fine. Thanks again man, you made my day, I was worried there for a second!
  • 19
    PF_promo-banner.png

    This is the support thread of PixelFlasher
    (PixelFlasher is an open-source self contained GUI tool to facilitate Pixel phone device flashing/rooting/updating with extra features).

    Note: This thread is meant for issues and problems faced in Google Pixel 6 devices, generic issues that are device agnostic should be discussed in the main thread.
    For full details on where to download / usage and feature set of the tool, visit the main thread at XDA or the project's Github page.

    IMPORTANT:
    Please do not ask questions the answers of which are already stated in the OP.
    I will simply ignore the request, as I'm fed up of referring people to the post that has the answers.

    Troubleshooting:
    If you need support or assistance, please generate and provide a support file from within PixelFlasher.
    You can hit that big Support button on the main screen, or select it from the Help menu.
    The generated support.zip file is sanitized (redacted) to keep your sensitive information (username device id ...) private.
    And no, a screenshot of the console or an excerpt from the console, does not make a support file.
    Clearly state the issue you're encountering, what actions did you take, and what outcome you observed, and what outcome you had expected.
    Do NOT modify the support file, keep it intact.
    • See this post.
    • Generate Sanitized support.zip file (File Menu) and submit that with your report.
    • If your anti-virus program is telling you that PixelFlasher is a malware, or you are concerned in any way, please check this post.
    7
    Thanks for you ongoing updates and improvements,🙏
    Does that mean if I do a factory update(to my rooted slot) next time I could update one slot with rooted factory image and the other(after booting into it) with the same non rooted factory image.
    Does that sound about right?
    To be clear on the terminology.

    • When we talk about Factory Image, we're talking about the files posted by Google here.
    • When to talk about Full OTA image, we're talking about files posted by Google here.
    Factory image by default, flashes to active (current slot) unless you manually override it in PF, and when it is flashes, no matter the state of the other slot, that slot becomes unbootable, if you are interested in the details as to why that happens, just search the forums, there's lots of talk about it.

    On the other hand, Full OTA image, always flashes to the inactive slot, and if something goes wrong it goes back to the current slot, which means it doesn't modify the current slot in such a way that it becomes unbootable.

    If you want to be able to boot to both slots, then you should be flashing Full OTA images and not factory images.

    Things to keep in mind.
    • Because the way OTA image is flashed (streamed) it is slower than factory flashing.
    • You cannot flash OTA to both slots simultaneously, you have to do it one at a time.
    • Keep in mind this is mainly for having both slots bootable in case something goes wrong and you want to have functional system without having to flash something immediately.
    • Also keep in mind that data partition is common, so if you change something in one slot, don't expect it to be different in the other slot (you can have one rooted and one not, and that's because there are two boot partitions)
    • You also don't want to be running different OS versions or security patch versions on the slots, and alternating between the two, although you might get away with it if it is slightly different, it is not recommended.
    How it all started.
    6
    New Release:
    Feb 05, 2023 v4.7.0 release
    • Added Magisk Backup Manager:
      • List all Magisk backups currently on the device.
      • Highlight the one that is backup of the current installed version.
      • Delete backups.
      • Manually add backup from PC.
      • Auto Backup: PixelFlasher figures out what needs to be backed up, and if it finds it on the PC, it creates the backup.
    • Added Reset on Magisk Manager package name setting to reset to default: com.topjohnwu.magisk
    • Linux / Mac build.sh now switches to the PixelFlasher folder if it is run from elsewhere.
    • Magisk installer improvements:
      • When installing Magisk Alpha or Delta, PixelFlasher updates the configuration to match the package name to the respective Magisk package.
      • Magisk installer window displays the package name.
      • You can now copy to clipboard, the download URL and package ID.
    • Magisk Manager columns are now wider for better readability.
    • Package Manager improvements:
      • Added Search / Filter option.
      • Show count of filtered packages.
      • Application Name (label column).
      • "Get Application Names" Button to resolve all package application names. This is a slow process, hence PixelFlasher caches them.
      • Button to download (pull) APKs from the device. (Multiple downloads in one shot is also supported).
      • Other under the hood improvements.
    • When selecting a firmware or ROM file, sha256 is printed to console and displayed on hover, to validate if it matches the published sha256.
    • More verbose logging that helps with troubleshooting.
    • Double click on "ADB Connected Devices" to invoke adb kill-server which is handy at times, specially when dealing with Wifi ADB.
    • Moved existing links under Help Menu | Links, and added few more handy links.
    • Added timestamp to support.zip filename.
    • On request, spinning cursor with text "Please be patient ..." is now displayed in red.
    • Flashing to inactive slot is now in basic configuration instead of advanced configuration.
    • Preparation work for version 5.0 DB improvements.
    5
    Thank you for the consideration.
    No donation, this is simply giving back to the community that has given me a lot over the years.
    5
    New Release:
    April 17, 2022 v2.3.0 release
    • Optional automatic check for updates feature.
    • Added help menu links to:
      - Report an issue
      - Feature Request
      - PixelFlasher Project Page
      - PixelFlasher Community (Forum)
      - Homeboy76's Guide
      - V0latyle's Guide
      - Open Configuration Folder
      - Check for New Version
    • Icons for menu items.
    • Link to download Pixel Firmware.
    • Link to download Android Platform Tools.
    • Unlock Bootloader.
    • Lock Bootloader.
    • SOS (experimental) - disable Magisk modules to get out of bootloop.
    • Additional flashing options:
      - product
      - system
      - system_ext
      - system_other
      - vbmeta_system
      - vbmeta_vendor
    • Added sideload flashing option.
    • Updated documentation.
    • Further improved console messages for troubleshooting.
    • Linux build using Github Actions.
    • Manual build for Kali Linux.