Installing to Pixel 3a

Fizz · 2 Dec 2023, 16:07

@MrT10001
OK, got it back to Fastboot Mode, thanks. It never feels like it totally powers off, but at least i am at the right screen now.

As for the platform-tools folder, here's what i have. The highlighted files are the files moved there from the image download.

-Fizz

MrT10001 · 2 Dec 2023, 16:12

@Fizz That looks better. Ok try getting the correct Android ROM installed.

Fizz · 2 Dec 2023, 16:40

@MrT10001
Ugh... still issues...

If i just run "flash-all.sh", it still says command not found. If i run "./flash-all.sh", i get the error "fastboot too old; please download the latest version at https://developer.android.com/studio/releases/platform-tools.html". That link is the same one i used to get the file originally, so...

Though for what it's worth, the files in my home directory platform-tools (which are the ones downloaded from the link above) appear to be different from the ones in the/usr/lib/android-sdk/platform-tools directory (which came from my manual install of adb, maybe?) Maybe i still don't have something installed properly here.

I could try the Android Flash tool again i suppose... Thoughts?

-Fizz

MrT10001 · 2 Dec 2023, 16:59

@Fizz See if there are any operating system updates?

Fizz · 2 Dec 2023, 17:35

@MrT10001
A few, but none seem related. I let my system update, but it hasn't made a difference.

I'm trying the Android Flash Tool again, so we'll see...

If that fails, then maybe i should try to un-install all the relevant Android sdk stuff and re-install it from scratch... But we'll cross that if the Flasher fails again.

-Fizz

Fizz · 2 Dec 2023, 18:30

@MrT10001
Nope, Android Flash failed again- 3 times, always getting stuck after the download, "timed out waiting for device to disconnect". <sigh>

Why is this so bloody difficult? Ugh.

Now what to try... reinstall adp and fastboot etc?

-Fizz

Fizz · 2 Dec 2023, 21:04

@MrT10001
Well, here's what i've done now...

As there was clearly a version difference between the two platform-tools, i looked into that. Basically, the CLI install from the Mint repositories was out of date. But the version from Android's site is the one to use.

So i copied the files from the Android's version into the /usr/lib/android-sdk folder. Basically, i moved the newest version files into Mint's expected install folder.

And now the command works- no error about the file being too old. It flashed quickly, and i'm now in the initial setup with the correct Android build. In other words, it worked!

So i think i'm now finally ready to run the UT installer. I'll be doing that tonight or tomorrow unless someone tells me i'm missing something.

Apologies for so many posts thus far, but hopefully someone else wanting to try UT will find this and save them some hassle.

-Fizz

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 17:02

Well, i have another question-

I've gone to start the UT install. I've downloaded the ubports-installer version 0.10.0 .deb package and installed it. So far so good.

But i can't figure out how to start the installer. Looking at https://docs.ubports.com/en/latest/userguide/install.html it only says "start the installer", but doesn't say how.

I tried running "ubports-installer" from the command line, but it returns "bash: ./ubports-installer: Permission denied". The user guide specifically says to not start it using sudo,

So how do i actually start the installer? Thoughts?

-Fizz

Moem · 3 Dec 2023, 18:08

@Fizz said in Installing to Pixel 3a:

I've downloaded the ubports-installer version 0.10.0 .deb package and installed it. So far so good.

I'm on Mint too. For me, it placed a menu entry in the main menu, so I can just start it that way.

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 19:23

@Moem
For me it didn't add to the menu anywhere. I was hoping it had, but no new menu item is found anywhere. Did you install through the .deb ?

Ultimately, i don't care how i start it, i just need to start it without a permissions warning. Any thoughts?

-Fizz

MrT10001 · 3 Dec 2023, 19:36

@Fizz Try this way:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install snapd
sudo snap install core

Then:

sudo snap install ubports-installer

From here.

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 19:57

@MrT10001
Hmmm.... well when run the second line sudo apt install snapd, it tells me...

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Package snapd is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

E: Package 'snapd' has no installation candidate*

So not sure what's up with that.

You know, when i first tried UT and installed it on my Nexus 5 a couple years back, it went so smoothly. This one has been so troublesome.

-Fizz

Moem · 3 Dec 2023, 20:00

@Fizz said in Installing to Pixel 3a:

Did you install through the .deb ?

Yes I did.

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 20:07

@Moem
Strange that yours added a menu item and mine did not. This was version 0.10.0? What's the name of the menu item that you see?

-Fizz

Moem · 3 Dec 2023, 20:24

@Fizz said in Installing to Pixel 3a:

This was version 0.10.0? What's the name of the menu item that you see?

It is now, but I did install an earlier version first, and upgrade when the current one came out. In my menu it's listed as 'ubports-installer'.

MrT10001 · 3 Dec 2023, 20:28

@Moem I had it running on Mint, Manjaro, Debian and my go to Ubuntu. It installed and ran fine.

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 20:35

@MrT10001
Then what the heck is wrong with my system that it won't run? Grrr. I suppose i can try doing the install through desktop machine instead (everything has been through my laptop thus far).

-Fizz

MrT10001 · 3 Dec 2023, 20:43

@Fizz Have you tried through Software on Mint?

The problem with UT installs which I have observed is that people:
A) Struggle to downgrade the Android ROM.
B) Try using the command line when it is simpler to begin with using the software stores on the various distributions.

An old adage is to keep it simple, the command line can complicate things, until you are really sure what you are doing.

As I said experience may vary due to hardware and other factors such as operating system.

The Nexus 5 was so straight forward as it was a legacy device which had a lot of work done with it, was cheap and easy to get hold of, so quite popular.

It has been a huge learning curve for me and thanks to illness last year (time off work)I managed to get to grips with fastboot, ADB, Android studio and a lot of the weird foibles of the various devices. I tought myself how to fix devices using the Nexus 4 and 5 as "training" to split screens , repair water damage, recover boot loops etc.
All I can say, newer devices are an absolute pain to work on. By far my favourite device has to be the depreciated Nexus 4.

Any how I do digress, keep persevering, you will get there.

Fizz · 3 Dec 2023, 20:53

@MrT10001
I did look for the ubports-installer on the Mint repositories; they don't have it.

I'd like to try running ubports-installer with sudo, if not for the documentation specifically saying i should not do so.

Is there any else in the configuration of the phone i need to set on the phone that might be causing the error? I have it in developer mode with usb-debugging. (Though the error seems to be on the laptop's, not phone's, side, but who knows.)

-Fizz

Br1 · 3 Dec 2023, 21:54

@Fizz try AppImage ...

download image
make it executable (from menu)
and click it

see short video :
https://www.spacelinux.it/video/AppImage.mp4