How To Guide Rooting the Google Pixel 6a

[Voxilli]

Ok, first time taking OTA and dealing with root in over 8 years.
June update - rooted. Took the file uploaded in the 2nd post here in this thread.

Now, have OTA update pending, can't update.
What exactly do I need to do? Which factory image should I download? (June/July)
I have the boot.img from it, patch it with magisk? then boot it? that's it? I thought the security update updates more than just boot.img.. no?

Thanks!

Sideload the OTA. Download the full image (corresponding to the OTA). Patch the boot.img from it and flash. Then you'll be up-to-date and rooted again.

 

[V0latyle]

Ok, first time taking OTA and dealing with root in over 8 years.
June update - rooted. Took the file uploaded in the 2nd post here in this thread.

Now, have OTA update pending, can't update.
Trying to follow your OTA update with magisk - keep getting "stock backup does not exist" when trying to Uninstall Magisk ...
What exactly do I need to do? Which factory image should I download? (June/July)
I have the boot.img from it, patch it with magisk? then boot it? that's it? I thought the security update updates more than just boot.img.. no?

Thanks!

If you want to be able to restore images, you'll need to flash the stock boot image, then live boot the patched image and perform Direct Install in Magisk.

But, since you're trying to update anyway, just use the factory image method. If you want to be able to update via OTA, follow the instructions above - don't flash the patched image, just use it for temporary root.

 

[EvoX2008]

If you want to be able to restore images, you'll need to flash the stock boot image, then live boot the patched image and perform Direct Install in Magisk.

But, since you're trying to update anyway, just use the factory image method. If you want to be able to update via OTA, follow the instructions above - don't flash the patched image, just use it for temporary root.

Guys!! English!!! Please!!!

I'm done for tonight

Somehow I got to the point where the security update got installed!!! I followed the ota with magisk guide and did not restart after it, went into the magisk, installed onto the secondary partition (or whatever it's called), rebooted.. and the phone completely froze.. I thought "that's it, this pixel has had a nice long 1wk long life ".
Held the power button for over 30 seconds, booted up, went to magisk, patched the boot.img file, flashed it, and nothing - still no security update installed.

I want to offload the process of updating the phone to my wife, but I kinda like permanent root for acc control, etc

 

[ctfrommn]

Ok, first time taking OTA and dealing with root in over 8 years.
June update - rooted. Took the file uploaded in the 2nd post here in this thread.

Now, have OTA update pending, can't update.
Trying to follow your OTA update with magisk - keep getting "stock backup does not exist" when trying to Uninstall Magisk ...
What exactly do I need to do? Which factory image should I download? (June/July)
I have the boot.img from it, patch it with magisk? then boot it? that's it? I thought the security update updates more than just boot.img.. no?

Thanks!

Just reflash the stock June bootimage, take the new update and reflash the patched boot. The kernel didnt change between these 2 releases so the patched boot works on either.

 

[IImanuII]

Just reflash the stock June bootimage, take the new update and reflash the patched boot. The kernel didnt change between these 2 releases so the patched boot works on either.

how reflash stock boot image if i dont have a backup? I need to flash it in bootloader mode?

Let me explain worse : I download the boot.img directly from google, but then if I flash it in bootloader mode, I don't lose all the magisk modules on reboot? Don't risk the bootloop?

Edit:

All done, i follow before this:

And after this:

 

[V0latyle]

Guys!! English!!! Please!!!

You won't like this answer, but if you don't know what you're doing, you shouldn't be doing this.

I'm done for tonight

Somehow I got to the point where the security update got installed!!! I followed the ota with magisk guide and did not restart after it, went into the magisk, installed onto the secondary partition (or whatever it's called), rebooted.. and the phone completely froze.. I thought "that's it, this pixel has had a nice long 1wk long life ".
Held the power button for over 30 seconds, booted up, went to magisk, patched the boot.img file, flashed it, and nothing - still no security update installed.

I want to offload the process of updating the phone to my wife, but I kinda like permanent root for acc control, etc

I think you misunderstand me.

When you flash the boot image with fastboot flash boot <boot image>, you're actually writing that binary to the /boot partition. If you do this with a patched image, Magisk does not have a backup.
When you boot the boot image, with fastboot boot <boot image>, you're sending the binary to the device to load instead of what's written to /boot. If you boot a patched image, then perform Direct Install in Magisk, Magisk then creates a backup of the original image in /boot so as to be able to restore it later.

Just reflash the stock June bootimage, take the new update and reflash the patched boot. The kernel didnt change between these 2 releases so the patched boot works on either.

I would not recommend doing this. While the kernel may be the same, the boot image contains other components that are updated with almost every release, such as the Android security engine. It's OK to temporarily boot an older image, but I recommend always flashing the boot image that corresponds to the update.

how reflash stock boot image if i dont have a backup? I need to flash it in bootloader mode?

Download the factory update package (not the OTA) and extract boot.img from within it, then flash in bootloader: fastboot flash boot <boot image>

Let me explain worse : I download the boot.img directly from google, but then if I flash it in bootloader mode, I don't lose all the magisk modules on reboot? Don't risk the bootloop?

Magisk operates via a kernel patch to grant root access. If you flash an unpatched boot image, you lose root, meaning Magisk is unable to load any modules. The only time this would cause a boot loop is if you updated via OTA, then flashed an older boot image; the system would see the mismatch and assume the update failed.

 

[ctfrommn]

I would not recommend doing this. While the kernel may be the same, the boot image contains other components that are updated with almost every release, such as the Android security engine. It's OK to temporarily boot an older image, but I recommend always flashing the boot image that corresponds to the update.

Ive done this like 20 times already working on building my kernel....zero issues.

 

[V0latyle]

Ive done this like 20 times already working on building my kernel....zero issues.

Okay, you completely ignored what I just said:

While the kernel may be the same, the boot image contains other components that are updated with almost every release, such as the Android security engine.

The kernel version itself corresponds to the public Linux kernel, so of course you can re-use it as much as you want. The boot image still contains other information that's version specific and may not work on newer builds.

 

[TechX1991]

Sorry!! Forgot I posted this tutorial. I added steps to the bottom of the Original Post on how to take an OTA and keep root. I realized I forgot those instructions

 

[SAMMMMMM]

how reflash stock boot image if i dont have a backup? I need to flash it in bootloader mode?

Let me explain worse : I download the boot.img directly from google, but then if I flash it in bootloader mode, I don't lose all the magisk modules on reboot? Don't risk the bootloop?

Edit:

All done, i follow before this:

And after this:

Doesn't help you at all, but I'm getting similar struggles.

Like, all the guides expect you to have a sbin folder, but Android 12 doesn't have it, it's moved to dev. I've followed a few of these guides to a T, and Magisk doesn't detect a backup no matter which I guide I follow through. I don't think the current guides are gonna work for someone with a Pixel 6* running 12.

My next effort is just gonna go through the original process of grabbing the latest factory image from Google myself and treating it like a fresh root. The Magisk/partition/OTA process has been nothing but headache so far.

 

[maelopam]

I ran into the issue where the OEM unlock was grayed out. So I followed the guide, but after factory reset it still was grayed out. However, I have a esim using Google Fi, so it automatically added back Google Fi after the reset. So in my old device, I migrated my number back to my old device and the unlock immediately ungrayed itself on the pixel and I could finish unlocking and rooting.

It did somehow wipe again the device after installing magisk and rebooting, but I just needed to reinstall magisk apk and it was rooted.


It now displays the warning that the device is unlocked, when re-booting. Is there a way to disable that (preferably flashing something I can create myself)? I knew how to do it for lineageos on moto, not sure how to do it for stock on pixel.

 

[ctfrommn]

I ran into the issue where the OEM unlock was grayed out. So I followed the guide, but after factory reset it still was grayed out. However, I have a esim using Google Fi, so it automatically added back Google Fi after the reset. So in my old device, I migrated my number back to my old device and the unlock immediately ungrayed itself on the pixel and I could finish unlocking and rooting.

It did somehow wipe again the device after installing magisk and rebooting, but I just needed to reinstall magisk apk and it was rooted.


It now displays the warning that the device is unlocked, when re-booting. Is there a way to disable that (preferably flashing something I can create myself)? I knew how to do it for lineageos on moto, not sure how to do it for stock on pixel.

You would have to relock the bootloader.

 

[mike.s]

You would have to relock the bootloader.

@maelopam ...and don't try that with a modified (i.e. Magisk) boot. It can brick the phone, unless things have changed.

 

[ryan92084]

Thanks for this, the suggestion to pull the sim for oem unlock did the trick. Been a long while since i had a new device so the refresher was very welcome.

 

[subbaak1968]

has anyone bricked his/her pixel 6 a yet ?

 

[Lughnasadh]

has anyone bricked his/her pixel 6 a yet ?

A few people have, apparently, due to the new ARB.

 

[Pakabidu]

Thanks for instructions around unlocking the bootloader!
My device came preinstalled with April update and OEM unlocking was greyed out. I removed google account in settings, took the SIM card out, updated to June patch, did factory reset, setup the device without Wifi and google account, after setting up I connected to Wifi and once I reinserted the SIM card I was able to toggle the OEM unlocking option in developer settings. Great stuff!

 

[bobby janow]

Thanks for instructions around unlocking the bootloader!
My device came preinstalled with April update and OEM unlocking was greyed out. I removed google account in settings, took the SIM card out, updated to June patch, did factory reset, setup the device without Wifi and google account, after setting up I connected to Wifi and once I reinserted the SIM card I was able to toggle the OEM unlocking option in developer settings. Great stuff!

All you really needed to do was do the system update and factory reset. Everything else was extraneous.

 

[mike.s]

All you really needed to do was do the system update and factory reset. Everything else was extraneous.

Pretty sure it needs to connect to Google after the reset. Not in relation to signing into an account, just as part of the normal "setting up your phone" process.

 

[bobby janow]

Pretty sure it needs to connect to Google after the reset. Not in relation to signing into an account, just as part of the normal "setting up your phone" process.

Yes, of course. That's always been the case but removing the account, taking out the sim card, only connecting to wifi without a sim card.. that's what I meant. Reset after the update and just continue setting up as usual. Any connection to the internet will suffice.