How To Guide April 2, 2024 AP1A.240405.002 Global - Root Pixel 6 Pro [Raven]

[Lughnasadh]

Of course, there's also the Pixel Flasher, which can flash to both slots and keep root, among many other things.

📳🔥PixelFlasher for Google Pixel 6 Pro Support Thread.

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...

xdaforums.com

 

[i42o]

If you have an unlocked bootloader, or at least have OEM unlocking enabled (in the second case, the site will unlock the bootloader for you). And you make sure the "Wipe" option gets unchecked.

Some people like me like to have a little more hands-on approach.

i am somewhat knowledgable on flashing process, but i am currently on Lineage 19.1 and will be jumping directly from LOS to android 13. i have to select wipe as my data is coming from custom oS no??? i would select force flash all partitions to ensure both slots get flashed??? this anti roll back thing has never worried me and i dont want to brick my 6 pro..... is the upgrade from coming from custom os???

 

[Lughnasadh]

Since we're talking about security a bit, here's what LLStarks was referring to, I believe...

Google's Android Red Team Had a Full Pixel 6 Pwn Before Launch

Before the flagship phone ever landed in users’ hands, the security team thoroughly hacked it by finding bugs and developing exploits.

www.wired.com

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

i am somewhat knowledgable on flashing process, but i am currently on Lineage 19.1 and will be jumping directly from LOS to android 13. i have to select wipe as my data is coming from custom oS no???

Yes, absolutely. In that case, I would also choose the Android Flash Tool's option to force flash all partitions, too.

i would select force flash all partitions to ensure both slots get flashed???

Ha! I was writing before I finished reading. Yes.

this anti roll back thing has never worried me and i dont want to brick my 6 pro.....

is the upgrade from coming from custom os???

Is there supposed to be another word in there, such as "safe"?
Like: is the upgrade safe from coming from custom os???

If that was your intended question, I have no idea from personal experience on the Pixel 6 Pro. Presumptively, yes, it's as safe as flashing stock from any custom OS I've ever used in the last 12 years has been. I don't definitively answer Yes to a scenario I haven't actually experienced myself unless it's brought up so often in the forum threads I visit that I know the answer without a doubt.

For what it's worth, I don't think the Android 13 bootloader not being able to be downgraded will have any effect on your process, since that's not what you're doing.

Hope that helps.

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

Since we're talking about security a bit, here's what LLStarks was referring to, I believe...

Google's Android Red Team Had a Full Pixel 6 Pwn Before Launch

Before the flagship phone ever landed in users’ hands, the security team thoroughly hacked it by finding bugs and developing exploits.

www.wired.com

Glad to know they ran *some* aspects of the P6/Pro through the relative wringer before launch!

That must be why they ran out of time fixing everything else. Yeah, that's it. © @Lughnasadh

 

[djo_5296]

i updated to A13 but it seems my pixel launcher crashes every time. I can somehow open Settings and launch apps via Settings but anything from home page, app drawer, or even the recents screen of the Pixel Launcher crashes (the launcher, but the app doesnt launch this way. only via Settings). Any way to fix this? I've tried re-flashing the full image again but it still comes up like that

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

i updated to A13 but it seems my pixel launcher crashes every time. I can somehow open Settings and launch apps via Settings but anything from home page, app drawer, or even the recents screen of the Pixel Launcher crashes (the launcher, but the app doesnt launch this way. only via Settings). Any way to fix this? I've tried re-flashing the full image again but it still comes up like that

Try wiping the Pixel Launcher app's cache and data.

 

[LLStarks]

I haven't seen a transparent anti-roll back like this ever. And I'm sure roms can work around it.

I remember when the Verizon Galaxy S3 had multiple updates that increasingly reduced the ability to flash recoveries, boots, roms. And then there was a point of no return which I made sure not to cross.

 

[djo_5296]

Try wiping the Pixel Launcher app's cache and data.

clearing storage didnt seem to help. i actually tried this line `fastboot update --skip-reboot --slot=all image-device-buildnumber.zip` in the bat file at the same time but i think the syntax is incorrect (yes, the proper file name was used not that placeholder haha) since post-flash, it only boots to bootloader

i reverted to the original flash command without `-w` and my phone boot properly and pixel launcher is back to working again. but after flashing my magisk patched boot image, thats when my pixel launcher stops working. i'll try a fresh magisk patched boot img i guess

 

[Lughnasadh]

clearing storage didnt seem to help. i actually tried this line `fastboot update --skip-reboot --slot=all image-device-buildnumber.zip` in the bat file at the same time but i think the syntax is incorrect (yes, the proper file name was used not that placeholder haha) since post-flash, it only boots to bootloader

i reverted to the original flash command without `-w` and my phone boot properly and pixel launcher is back to working again. but after flashing my magisk patched boot image, thats when my pixel launcher stops working. i'll try a fresh magisk patched boot img i guess

Got any Magisk mods that may be interfering?

 

[djo_5296]

Got any Magisk mods that may be interfering?

it seems that it was a module, QuickSwitch. idk what happened in my latest flash but i lost my home screen configuration, but a minor loss compared to a full wipe. well, i removed QuickSwitch for now and will wait for an update. thanks for helping me out!

 

[Lughnasadh]

it seems that it was a module, QuickSwitch. idk what happened in my latest flash but i lost my home screen configuration, but a minor loss compared to a full wipe. well, i removed QuickSwitch for now and will wait for an update. thanks for helping me out!

No problem

 

[Homeboy76]

@Lughnasadh
I inserted one penny in the Flash Factory Machine. The machine flashed the factory image to slot a.

I inserted the other penny in the Flash Factory Machine.
The machine flashed the factory image to slot b.

Thanks for the two pennies.

fastboot flash boot magisk_patched...img --slot all
Rebooted

Phone looping back to Start.
I fixed by reflashing the factory image.
to both slots.

I checked the magisk_install...log has several cp errors i.e., cp: can't preserve ownership of 'busybox': Operation not permitted

What does this error mean and how do I fix it?

I used Magisk Canary 25201 to Patch Android 13 boot image.

 

[Namelesswonder]

I haven't seen a transparent anti-roll back like this ever. And I'm sure roms can work around it.

I remember when the Verizon Galaxy S3 had multiple updates that increasingly reduced the ability to flash recoveries, boots, roms. And then there was a point of no return which I made sure not to cross.

The real question is whether the antirollback is implemented as a specific version stop to simply just prevent flashing back to an exploitable bootloader or is implemented as complete rollback prevention to stop downgrading at all. We won't find out until next month.

We still don't know if the bootloader has implemented a kernel version check.
If the bootloader doesn't have a kernel version check then there is no issue, we already know it can boot Android 12. If the bootloader does have a kernel version check then all that has to be done is to spoof it to get a custom Android 12 kernel booted.
Nobody has flashed the Android 12 images after booting Android 13, so we don't know yet.

GrapheneOS has already reverted the commit that enables the ARB bits, but that only stops the bits from being set on devices that have never booted Android 13. ROMs can do this to prevent untainted devices from being tainted, but for what?

I'm more concerned if it's a complete rollback prevention and this marks Google abandoning freedoms in the vain of security. We already know that the Titan internally is a mess. They implemented ARB in the firmware of the Titan, to prevent downgrade attacks, but then just never used it. Then a downgrade attack was performed on the Titan. If Google is now moving towards locked down security then they're going to take measures to block any bypasses.
I don't think they are, but we'll see.

 

[Divine Bicycle]

Do I need to do the slot change if I usually use the Android Flash Tool to upgrade to Android 13?

 

[djo_5296]

anyone else experience this?

when a notification pops up, the keyboard closes which prevents you from typing. While the notif is present also, i cant do a Back gesture and exit the current screen im on, unless i click on an already existing back button.

dont think its my modules again since it's just ACC and the VoLTE one aside from the default magisk modules

edit: this seems like the only search result i could find that describes my issue https://issuetracker.google.com/issues/193920125?pli=1 and it seems like its been around since last year D:

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

Do I need to do the slot change if I usually use the Android Flash Tool to upgrade to Android 13?

I doubt it.

 

[Lughnasadh]

@Lughnasadh
I inserted one penny in the Flash Factory Machine. The machine flashed the factory image to slot a.

I inserted the other penny in the Flash Factory Machine.
The machine flashed the factory image to slot b.

Thanks for the two pennies.

fastboot flash boot magisk_patched...img --slot all
Rebooted

Phone looping back to Start.
I fixed by reflashing the factory image.
to both slots.

fastboot flash vbmeta --disable-verity --disable-verification vbmeta.img

A penny saved is a penny earned.
Two pennies saved and you have doubled your fortune.
--Old Pagan proverb

Weird about the bootloop but sounds like you're all sorted out and ready to fly

 

[Lughnasadh]

For what it's worth...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1559786740050644992

 

[roirraW "edor" ehT]

I posted the following elsewhere.

Personally, I think Android 13 is much smoother than Android 12, and when I reboot the phone, the home screen loads noticeably faster the first time I unlock it. I've been withholding full judgment one way or another on 13 because it takes time to observe all the overall differences objectively, and sometimes there is also a placebo effect with a new shiny Android version, but my general impression is that Android 13 compared to 12 is like Android 5.11 compared to 5. But honestly not as big a difference as the 5->5.11 changes - just reminiscent of that situation, although Android 5.x was when I was still using non-Google OEM phones.

Since the other user's questions led me to write a tiny very early mini-report on Android 13, I figured I might as well share it here as well.

I will add that I don't consider the bootloader not being able to be downgraded to the one from Android 12 a problem at all. I certainly don't plan on trying to jump back to 12. I like the improvements in 13 that I've noticed so far.