How to install Android 9 Pie on your phone

Google has released Android 9.0 Pie - or simply Android P- and there is already a final version so that we can install it on the Pixels. Progressively and through updates it will reach the rest of the terminals, but what we can anticipate is that the final product will be one of the most innovative in years for the Google operating systemAlthough it is true that the best we can see the new functions is in pure Android, since in systems more customized by the brands, some functions can clash.Even so, Android P incorporates new and interesting functions and before developing them, we leave you this guide on the different ways to install the new Google system already available for download.

1. Download the OTA (Over the air) update

To test Android Pie on Pixel, we have to go to the phone settings menu, select System, System update and then Check for updatesIf the over-the-air update is available for Pixel, it should download automatically. We reboot the phone after the update has installed and we'll be running Android Pie in no time.

If we don't want to wait for OTA update, we have instructions to know how to install Android Pie via factory images and OTA files.

2. Flash Android 9 on phone

The installation of Android Pie by this method takes more time and complications than by the OTA system, but some people prefer to do it this way, so we will explain how to do it.

First the files are downloaded:

Google has already released Android Pie factory images and OTA files for all four Pixel phones. We'll need to download the appropriate file for the device before we begin.

For Android Pie Factory

For Android Pie OTA

And here's what we need to start the process:

• Android SDK installed on the device with ADB command and Fastboot working successfully: tutorial here.
• 7zip or a similar program that can handle .tgz and .tar files.
• An unlocked bootloader on the phone.
• A compatible Pixel device and a USB cable to connect it to your computer.

Unlock phone bootloader

The first thing we need to do is unlock the phone's bootloader by following the instructions. It is easy to do and does not require much technical knowledge Unlocking the bootloader will erase all the data on our device, so we must make sure to make a backup before.

1. Turn on developer options by going to "About phone" and tapping "Build number" seven times.
2. We enable USB debugging and OEM unlocking on the device in the "Developer options" section.
3. We connect the Pixel to the computer with a USB cable.
4. We open the command window on the computer.
5. We boot the Google Pixel in bootloader mode with the following command: adb reboots the bootloader (if you ask us to authorize this, we say yes).
6. When the device boots into bootloader mode, type this command: fastboot flash unlock.
7. A confirmation screen will appear. Press the volume up key to highlight yes and the power button to start the bootloader unlock process.
8. Once unlocked, our device will reboot into bootloader mode. Now we just have to type fastboot reset to finish the process.

Flash Android Pie on Pixel

Flashing Android P on our smartphone can be quite simple, but we can still have problems if we don't carefully follow the instructions below.

Step by Step:

1. We go to the bootloader menu to test that our device and the computer are synchronizing when writing to fastboot devices: if we return with the smartphone's serial number, it is ready to start.
2. We prepare the factory image that we downloaded earlier. We used 7zip to extract the .tgz file we downloaded and then again to extract the .tar file we extracted from the .tgz. This will create a folder with several files.
3. We copy all those files and paste them into the platform tools folder in the Android SDK on our computer. We should find it in the Program Files (x86) folder in Windows.
4. There are two flash-all files. Windows users should double click on the one with the gear logo and it says “Windows Batch File” on the right. For Linux, double-click flash-all.sh.
5. A pop-up box will appear and we should see that the installation is taking place. While this is happening, we do not disconnect our device at any time.
6. When the installation process has finished, our terminal will restart automatically. Then we can disconnect the device from the computer and start enjoying Android P.

What if the flash-all method doesn't work?

For some reason, not everyone has luck with Flash-all scripts. If they fail in any case, there is another way It's actually quite simple. First, we need to make sure that we are still in the proper bootloader state and connected to our computer. On the computer, we must write the following:

First we flash the bootloader with the following command: fastboot flash bootloader .img

Next: boot reboot fastboot-bootloader

Then flash the radio with the following command: fastboot flash radio .img

Next: boot reboot fastboot-bootloader

We flash the image with: flash fastboot -w update .zip

After this, our device can reboot automatically. If not, we type: fastbootreset

And this is the method to install Android Pie on Pixel. When Google's new operating system reaches other brands, we will see the installation experiences and, above all, handling outside of the pure Android of the Pixels.