Installation to Google Pixel 3a XL

MrT10001

You need to install the latest fastboot and ADB drivers.

Once that is done you need to download the fastboot flash version which will have the flash all.sh file in it.
Unzip the ROM to the folder where your fastboot file is found ( in Power Tools that you have downloaded).

Put your device into fastboot mode, connect it to your pc. Open a command prompt in your fastboot folder containing the ROM and run the flash all command.

wgarcia

@MrT10001 said in Installation to Google Pixel 3a XL:

@wgarcia

You need to install the latest fastboot and ADB drivers.

I have the latest I think.

Once that is done you need to download the fastboot flash version which will have the flash all.sh file in it.

I've downloaded several, didn't see any "flash-all.sh" utility. Do you have a link to the one that has it?

wgarcia

I finally managed to downgrade, quite unexpectedly.

I tried to install twrp recovery, to see if you could install the Android 9 image with it. I tried to flash it in fastboot mode with:

sudo fastboot flash boot twrp...img

(without sudo it wouldnt install)

and it got stuck in fastboot. I would not boot, or go to recovery, or anything.

Then I changed boot partition

fastboot set_active other

not that I had any idea on what I was doing, just as a result of desperation, since I saw this command somewhere. It moved from partition "a" to "b" but nothing changed.

Then out of boredom I went back to Google Chrome and Android Flash Tool and voilà, this time it downloaded and installed Android 9.

What a pain, it was a similar experience with an OP5 recently. It is a breeze to install UT, but downgrading Android can take you a full morning.

MrT10001

@wgarcia I have found both these devices pretty straightforward to downgrade/upgrade (hey but that is me :beaming_face_with_smiling_eyes: ).

Pixel3a if you get stuck on the Google logo.... I will write something up when I get a chance.

I do have a Windows machine and Linux machine, find windows is "easier" with some devices.

r0lle

@MrT10001
Regardless if I try to install 16.04 20.04 or 24.04 i get stuck in the google logo on my 3A
Yes I run de desired version of android according to the devices page

I think my recovery program is not working after the downgrade to version 9 android

All steps up to the step using fastboot works fine

Then it tries starting recovery mode and it hangs on the google logo, same result if I try to enter recovery from either power and volume-up or by using adb shell

Should I install twrp instead of the erroneous stock recovery?

r0lle

@wgarcia
Unpack the zip file with the Android operating system that you want to downgrade to

Follow the link on the device page to get the riht zip file (google provides several versions of the same android version installation package depending on your prefered installation tool set)

arubislander

@r0lle Mine would also do that on occasion. If you selected both Wipe userata and Bootstrap on the first try and it gets stuck on the logo on reboot, I would try booting to fastboot and then running the installer again, but this time only selecting Wipe Userdata (so no bootstrap). If you did not select both Wipe Data and Bootstrap initially, you should first do both.

r0lle

Thanks for a quick reply!

I think I have not seen any options for bootstrapping or wiping data.

Lots of warnings for data to be wiped both when reinstalling android and while trying to install ubuntu;

Is it during the downgrading of android or while upgrading to Ubuntu that I should watch out for warious wiping options?

Thanks
R

MrT10001

@r0lle it is the installing of UT on the UT installer where you will see the check boxes.

r0lle

After some investigation I have found out that there indeed is a recovery option hidden behind an obscure and unusual sequence of operations:

Enter fastboot mode
use volume button to select recovery
Confirm using the power button
Wait until you see a green and dead android laying on its back with a service panel open an a yellow warning sign
When the android is showing you will have to wait for a while, a couple of minutes (1-5 minutes, I did not time the operation but it was far longer than what I had anticipated)
Press power and volume up on the same time and then let go quickly
Bingo! You're entering recovery!
Be happy, don't worry!

/r

r0lle

The above is for 3a, on my XL everything worked without need for any dark arts
/r

arubislander

@r0lle Never needed to go through that song and dance on my Pixel 3A either, tbh

r0lle

Hi all!

@arubislander nice to hear, and to be clear, no irony needed. In a worse scenario nobody except a bunch of savvy developers would have tried using Ubuntu on that specific phone.

It is good to know that it actually can work in a friendly way as expected.

Unfortunately I have run into more problems since writing my last post here:

My "easy" 7 step dance course only works while running the android 9 version that is supposed to be prefered by the instalation program.
After that the installation program has flashed it's own version of boot.img using fastboot, the recovery i nowhere to be seen anymore. Neither with my seven step tango or by any other more traditional means. After consulting a few search engines without any luck I went the ai-chatbot way and got the suggestion that some android implementations keep the recovery code in the boot.img, if that is the case with the suggested android version, the instruction needs to be updated.

I am going to download a few other builds of android 9 from Google in hope that I may strike "gold", using one of them.
On my XL the recovery worked fine after flashing boot.img.

If that does not work, I will have to figure out whatever magic the install tool is using and then flash things in another order to get all the higher level stuff installed before I flash the boot-program.

If somebody could help me figuring out where the low level install procedure is documented (the one implemented by the user friendly installation program) and where I can download the installation files, then you will make me quite a happy man...

By the way, am I overly adventurous if I try the 24.04.2 nightly?

/r

MrT10001

@r0lle Had very few issues with installing on Pixel 3a/3a XL. If you get stuck on the Google logo instead of recovery, this may interest you....

r0lle

@MrT10001
Thanks, I will try that.
/r

rocket2nfinity

Consider testing out the new halium 12 port with VoLTE. Need more testers to work out the bugs.

r0lle

@rocket2nfinity
I will gladly do that as soon as the fine phone fimally accepts som ubuntu binaries
/r

r0lle

Yes, the second install went a little bit further, I got the wipe option that I have been told about which is splendid

It did some wiping and formatting, it also did some interesting things in recovery mode and that is a sign of progress too.

When booting the first time it shows the Linneage logo for a few minutes and then I will finally end up in fastboot with an intetesting reason
Yes, it actually use the term reason:
no valid slot to boot

Interesting, I tried both 24.04-1 and dito -2
If it was not for bad luck, I would have no luck at all...

/r

arubislander

@r0lle said:

When booting the first time it shows the Linneage logo for a few minutes

If it shows the lineage logo, it means you had the wrong version of Android installed beforehand. Did you install stock Android 9 for this device?

r0lle

@arubislander
I had stock android an linneage has never touched this device.
To be exact, it may not be te linneage logo because there are extra red rings inside the somewhat spectacle like logo of linneage

This new and interesting logo appeared after installing ubuntu

It showed up te first time right before entering the recovery mode

Before installing ubuntu I had a dead amdroid while the recovery was initialising, now i have the modified linneage logo with extra red rings instead

Even if it looks nice I am as clueless as ever on where to procede next

/r