Google’s reputation for producing exceptional devices is embodied in its Pixel series, renowned for delivering an unparalleled user experience through top-tier hardware and the most recent Android updates. Freshly launched at the Google I/O 2023, the Google Pixel 7A stands as a testament to this legacy, arriving straight out of the box with Android 13. This device promises 3 Major OS updates and 5 years of security updates, ensuring users enjoy the latest features and robust protection for years to come.
Despite the clean, clutter-free Pixel Launcher interface and the pure, stock-like Android UI that Pixel devices are known for, some users may encounter device bricking or bootloop issues. If you’re a Pixel 7A user who’s found yourself in such a predicament, don’t fret. This guide will walk you through how to unbrick your Pixel 7A.
It’s become increasingly common for Android device users to experiment with multiple custom firmware or root access, seeking advanced features and greater user control. However, this exploration can sometimes lead to complications. Some Pixel 7A users, while installing Custom ROM or rooting, have found their devices stuck in a bricked state or trapped in a bootloop screen. Fortunately, flashing the stock firmware file on your Pixel 7A via the ADB Fastboot command can effectively resolve these issues.
When your device is stuck in a bootloop or bricked, it essentially becomes unresponsive. Although you may be able to charge your device’s battery, you won’t be able to boot into the system or use your device properly. Flashing the stock ROM successfully restores your device to its factory default state, much like what you’d see after performing a device reset. Keep in mind, though, this process may remove all user data from your device. However, it’s a necessary step to bring your Pixel 7A back to life.
Guide to Unbrick Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro
Before jumping into the actual unbricking steps, properly follow the required download links and prerequisites to avoid errors or failures while flashing the firmware.
Pre-Requisites
It’s recommended to check out all the requirements one by one that are mentioned below.
1. Install Android SDK
First, install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your Windows PC. The official ADB and Fastboot binary provided by Google will come in handy while running adb and fastboot commands on the device.
2. Charge the Device
Make sure to charge the device sufficiently, which is more than 50%. It’ll ensure your device’s battery won’t die during the firmware flashing process.
3. Requires a PC and a USB Cable
You’ll also require a computer and a USB cable to connect your Google Pixel 6/6 Pro to the PC.
4. Install Google USB Driver
Downloading and installing the latest Google USB Driver or Android USB Driver on your PC is worth mentioning. The USB Driver always plays a major role in creating a stronger communication bridge between the device and the computer to run commands or transfer files easily.
Download Links:
Steps to Unbrick Google Pixel 6 Series
- As you’ve extracted the downloaded Android SDK Platform Tools file into the folder, you can rename the files to make the process easier.
- Consider renaming the files like bootloader-oriole-slider-x.x-xxxxxxx.img to bootloader.img
- Rename image-oriole-xxxx.xxxxxx.xxx.xx.zip to image.zip
- Rename radio-oriole-xxxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxxx-x-xxxxxxx to radio.img
- You must boot your Google Pixel 6 series device to the Fastboot Mode. If it doesn’t get booted automatically in the Fastboot mode, drain the battery so the device gets powered off. Then connect your device to the charger and long-press the Power + Volume Down keys to boot the device into Fastboot.
- Connect your Pixel 6/6 Pro device to the PC via a USB cable. Make sure it’s booted to the Fastboot Mode to detect.
- Next, navigate to the platform-tools folder on the PC > Click on the address bar inside the folder.
- Type CMD in the address bar and hit Enter to open the Command Prompt window.
- Copy and paste the following command line into the CMD window, then hit Enter to flash the bootloader file: [If you haven’t renamed the bootloader, image, and radio file names then copy-paste the actual file name]
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
- Next, execute the command below to boot your device back into the Fastboot Mode:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
- Then flash the radio file using the following command:
fastboot flash radio radio.img
- You will now again have to boot your device to Fastboot Mode, so use the below command for that:
fastboot reboot-bootloader
- Finally, you’ll have to flash all other partition files that are present inside the image.zip file by running the command below:
fastboot update image.zip
- Once the firmware flashing is completed, make sure to run the command below to boot your device to the system:
fastboot reboot
- You’re done. Please wait for the device to boot into the system completely, as it may take some time.
This is how you can easily unbrick the Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro devices.
Still, Google Pixel 6/6 Pro is Stuck in Fastboot?
However, if your Pixel 6/6 Pro model gets stuck in the Fastboot mode, you can format the device. This process will delete the user data.
1. First of all, make sure to flash the bootloader and radio file on the device by using the command below just like the above steps one by one.
fastboot flash bootloader bootloader.img
2. Then run the following command to reboot into the bootloader.
fastboot reboot-bootloader
3. Run the following command to flash the radio file.
fastboot flash radio radio.img
4. Execute the following command to reboot into the bootloader.
fastboot reboot-bootloader
5. Once done, you must format your device and then flash the image.zip file. To do so:
fastboot -w update image.zip
6. Finally, execute the command below, and your device should now boot to the system:
fastboot reboot
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.
