Installation to Google Pixel 3a XL

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