Pre-Requirements
- You’ll need a computer and a USB cable.
- Download and Install the Android SDK Platform Tool on your PC from the guide mentioned inside the link.
- Enable USB Debugging and OEM Unlocking on your respective Android TV Box. [Important]
- Make sure that your Amlogic G12/SM1 chipset-enabled Android TV Box is running on the latest Android 11 firmware. While if you’re using Walmart Dynalink 4K Box (Wade), make sure that it’s running Android 10.
- Unlock the Android TV Box Bootloader which is really necessary before flashing a custom ROM. You’ll find out the instructions below.
- Try creating a data backup of the device to the PC or into the Google account before performing the firmware flashing method.
Download Links:
1. Unlock Bootloader on Android TV Box
- Make sure that you’ve already enabled the OEM Unlock from the Developer Options menu on your Android TV Box via Settings. If not, do this first.
- Now, connect the device to your PC via a USB cable.
- Head over to the installed ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools) folder on the PC > Click on the address bar and type cmd then hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
- If a prompt appears, make sure to allow it to run as an administrator.
- From the command prompt window, run the following command to boot your connected device into the fastboot/bootloader mode:
adb reboot bootloader
- Once the device is in fastboot mode, run the following command to check if the computer detected the device in the fastboot mode or not:
fastboot devices
- Now, run the following command to unlock the device bootloader:
fastboot flashing unlock
Note: Unlocking the Bootloader will void the device warranty as well as remove the user data completely into a default factory state.
- If the device doesn’t automatically reboot, make sure to manually reboot it. (The first boot may take some time after bootloader unlocking so have some patience)
- You’re done. You’ve successfully unlocked the device bootloader.
- Since the device resets completely, you’ll need to re-enable the USB debugging option on your Android TV Box from the Developer Options under Settings to continue the next method. So, after booting up the device, go through the initial setup screen, and re-enable USB Debugging for sure.
2. Install a Custom Recovery via Fastboot
- Download a custom recovery like Lineage Recovery. Make sure to get the latest recovery file something like (lineage-18.1-20211016-recovery-deadpool.img or dopinder.img or sabrina.img or wade.img).
- Now, connect your device to the PC via a USB cable.
- Head over to the installed ADB & Fastboot (Platform Tools) folder on the PC > Click on the address bar and type cmd then hit Enter to open Command Prompt.
- If a prompt appears, make sure to allow it to run as an administrator.
- From the command prompt window, run the following command to boot your device into the fastboot mode:
adb reboot fastboot
- Once the device boots up in the fastboot mode, check whether the PC detects it or not by executing the following command line:
fastboot devices
- Now, make sure to flash the recovery file onto your device by running the command below: [Here <recovery_filename>.img should be replaced by the actual recovery filename along with .img extension]
fastboot flash recovery <recovery_filename>.img
Note: If you’re getting stuck into the fastboot screen or any other error then make sure to use a different USB port or USB hub to retry again.
- Once done, just reboot the device into the recovery mode to verify the installation by running the command below:
fastboot reboot fastboot
- Then select ‘Enter Recovery’ to confirm the process. Now, you’ll need to follow the last method to complete the LineageOS firmware flashing process.
3. Steps to Install LineageOS 18.1 via Recovery
- Make sure that you’ve downloaded the LineageOS installation package for your specific device model.
- If your device is not booted in the recovery, then reboot into recovery by following the steps below:
- Connect the device to the PC via a USB cable while holding the Side Button until the Recovery is displayed.
- OR, just run the following command after connecting to the PC and opening the command prompt window from the Platform Tools folder:
adb reboot recovery
- Now, select Factory Reset > Format data / factory reset > Continue with the formatting process. [This will remove encryption and delete all files from the internal storage apart from formatting the cache partition]
- Go back to the main menu of the recovery > Sideload the LineageOS.zip package by following the steps below:
- On the device, select ‘Apply Update’ > Choose to ‘Apply from ADB’ to begin to sideload.
- On the host machine, sideload the package via running the following command on the Platform Tools folder:
adb sideload filename.zip
Note: If the process succeeds the output will stop at 47% and report adb: failed to read command: Success.
- Once done all, click on the back arrow in the top left corner > Select ‘Reboot system now’.
This is how you can properly flash the LineageOS 18.1 (Android 11) custom firmware on your Android TV Box having the Amlogic chipset inside. For further help or flashing add-ons or even if you’ve any questions regarding this method, you can visit the source link below for forum support or FAQs.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.
Source: XDA
