I need some help here: I don't understand how to downgrade my Google Pixel 3A XL to Android 9 after hours of searching, nor do I know how to ask a question here. I'm feeling prett
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@lakeview You made a post, so that's a start! Next step is to write your question in the body of the post, not the title, so you'll have more space.
I've never downgraded Android so I can't help, but someone will be along who can. Keep the faith, you'll get there!
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@lakeview Hello lakeview,
I quote from https://devices.ubuntu-touch.io/device/bonito/ :
"You can install Ubuntu Touch on this device using the UBports Installer on your computer.
Make sure the bootloader of your device is unlocked and that your device has the required version of Android installed. Before installing, follow the device-specific instructions below:- Make sure it is NOT the verizon model, as that model does not allow the bootloader to be unlocked.
- If the device is running an Android version above 9.0, you have to downgrade to the last 9.0 release. Make sure to revert to factory image PQ3B.190801.002 before continuing."
So for the factory image you need to go to https://developers.google.com/android/images#bonito . There you probably have to click on "Acknowledge [I have read and agree with the terms and conditions.]" and than you look at a long list for the factory image (PQ3B.190801.002 for the Pixel 3a XL "bonito").
Here are detailed step by step instructions: https://forums.ubports.com/topic/10906/ut-installation-on-google-pixel-3a-step-by-step
And for a video tutorial to unlock the bootloader and installing the image, you can check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdNGSdYCaDY (but please be aware that you need the image for bonito and not for sargo)
All of this will only work, if your device allows you to unlock the bootloader. One comment under the linked video explains: "Some more elaboration after further research. If you have a Pixel 3a/XL with an IMEI that does not begin with 35, then you are good to go: this phone is not a Verizon model and it will be possible to enable OEM Unlock. If the IMEI does begin with 35, then it might be a Verizon model, but you need more info to determine that. One way is if you have the original box. If the box lists two IMEI numbers and one eSIM number, then it is not a Verizon phone and it will be OEM unlockable. If it lists a SIM number, then it is Verizon, and will not be OEM unlockable.
If you don't have the original box, you can go to Google Store Website > Repairs > Get Started, and enter the IMEI number. If there is no mention of Verizon in the device information, then you should be good to go with an OEM unlockable device.Hope this is useful for anyone looking for a second hand device to do this installation."
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@johndoe Thanks for this great answer.
I just succeeded in downgrading a Pixel 3a (not XL) following your (linked) instructions, just replaced
bonitobysargo, where possible.This answer is to give other users with the same problems a heads up.
I used Ubuntu 24.04 on my host computer and a USB 2 port. With USB 3 the
fastboot flashcommands always failed. I used theflash-all.shinstead of the Android Flash Tool.Now I'm going to install Ubuntu Touch on the phone
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I don't know how to update my post, so I'm trying this.
I finally used a zero-privacy (public) computer to visit Google's developer website to get bonito. After floundering through multiple, inconsistent, instructions on how to downgrade, and multiple visits to Google, I saw a .sh file for the first time. It seems that Google hides everything older than Android 11 even with minimal privacy enabled on my computer. Maybe that could be mentioned somewhere.
However, the .sh script aborts saying that fastboot is out of date. I had just installed it for the first time, and my Linux system says that it is the latest version. I wonder if the "Copyright 2012 The Android Open Source Project" script is out of date.
I executed the script commands manually:
fastboot flash [the bootloader]
fastboot reboot-bootloader
fastboot flash [the radio]
fastboot reboot-bootloader
all is good so far
fastboot -w update image-bonito-pq3b.190801.002.zip
checksums match; I get the following:extracting android-info.txt (0 MB)...
extracting boot.img (64 MB)...
target reported max download size of 268435456 bytes
archive does not contain 'boot.sig'
archive does not contain 'boot_other.img'
extracting dtbo.img (8 MB)...
archive does not contain 'dtbo.sig'
archive does not contain 'dt.img'
archive does not contain 'recovery.img'
extracting system.img (2278 MB)...
W/ziparchive(74369): Zip: unable to allocate 2389524784 bytes at offset 0 : No space left on device
failed to extract 'system.img': I/O errorNote several lines of "archive does not contain"
The "Flashboot Mode" bootup screen on the Pixel says:
Product revision: bonito MP1.0(US)
Bootloader version: b4s4-0.1-5653622
Baseband verison: g670-00011-190411-B-5457439
Serial number: 938AX05MER-
Secure boot: PRODUCTION
NOS production: yes
DRAM: 4GB Hynix LPDDR4X
eMMC: 64GB SKHynix
Device state: unlocked
Enter reason: reboot bootloaderI assume that I do not need to install 1.7MB of Android in order to nuke it, so I ran the UBports installer on the phone as it is, from my computer. But the freshly downloaded-for-the-first-time .deb file won't install (ubports-installer_0.11.2_linux_amd64.deb). I get the following error messages:
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of ubports-installer:
ubports-installer depends on heimdall-flash; however:
Package heimdall-flash is not installed.dpkg: error processing package ubports-installer (--install):
dependency problems - leaving unconfiguredIt seems that heimdall-flash is for Samsung phones, although I downloaded the UBports Installer from the Google Pixel 3A XL page.
It gets better: every time I open this thread, my Linux OS restarts, and I have very limited access to other systems at present, making this site difficult to use. I really appreciate the quick responses, but I need more input. Where do I go from here?
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@lakeview said
It seems that heimdall-flash is for Samsung phones, although I downloaded the UBports Installer from the Google Pixel 3A XL page.
Every UT device uses the same installer, be it Samsung or Google, so of course the installer will depend on that package. If you don't want to install that, use the appimage.
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@lakeview said in I need some help here: I don't understand how to downgrade my Google Pixel 3A XL to Android 9 after hours of searching, nor do I know how to ask a question here. I'm feeling prett:
my Linux OS
What Linux OS are you running?
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@arubislander Mate Mint 24.04.2; kernel 6.11.0-26-generic
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@lakeview If you are concerned about the privacy of your laptop OS, you could try booting into a live Ubuntu session from a USB stick and trying the UBports installer snap package.
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@arubislander Good thought. Perhaps I should have mentioned that I use Tor (or a public computer) because this site forwards user data to Cloudflare.
I believe that live a session won't prevent fingerprinting/canvassing, regarding my accessing this site; and and not help regarding the problem of 'missing files' in the Google bonito file.
Any more ideas?
