If I flash a factory image on my Nexus 6, will the device ask me for my google account, or does that only occur with a factory reset.
If you wipe the data then yes. I assumed since it's gonna be a whole ddffrent OS. Then yed
FriendWithin said:
If I flash a factory image on my Nexus 6, will the device ask me for my google account, or does that only occur with a factory reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click the top link in my signature for info. Especially if you are thinking of re-locking the bootloader.
You should remove your Google account and any security pin/password/pattern lock before hand. Then do a factory reset from settings before you begin. Safety first.
Evolution_Freak said:
Click the top link in my signature for info. Especially if you are thinking of re-locking the bootloader.
You should remove your Google account and any security pin/password/pattern lock before hand. Then do a factory reset from settings before you begin. Safety first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My screen is broken. I can't see a thing. Forgot to mention
FriendWithin said:
My screen is broken. I can't see a thing. Forgot to mention
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So then it doesn't matter what it asks for
rootSU said:
So then it doesn't matter what it asks for
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Giffgaff said they'd need the device protection taken off
"Don't forget to remove your PIN or lock code, and any other kind of protection so the phone fixers can turn on your phone and confirm the issue."
However it can be turned on and the PIN encryption is gone, I just don't know whether they will need my google account to get further into the phone seeing as it's a factory image flash. I can't lock the bootloader because i can't see anything on the screen and I cannot force it off without it auto rebooting.
@rootSU
FriendWithin said:
Giffgaff said they'd need the device protection taken off.
"Don't forget to remove your PIN or lock code, and any other kind of protection so the phone fixers can turn on your phone and confirm the issue."
However it can be turned on and the PIN encryption is gone, I just don't know whether they will need my google account to get further into the phone seeing as it's a factory image flash. I can't lock the bootloader because i can't see anything on the screen and I cannot force it off without it auto rebooting.
@rootSU
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If the screen isnt working, they can see the issue long before getting to boot up. To turn off device protection, you must remove the google account before a factory reset. You obviously cant do this without seeing what you're doing. And you wouldnt want them to have access to your google account. All you can do is flash factory and send it as is. Device protection isnt going to prevent them fixing a broken display issue.
rootSU said:
. . . . And you wouldnt want them to have access to your google account. All you can do is flash factory and send it as is.. . .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
On a PC or any other device with a browser you can access your Google account. Than change the password.
That is the first thing I should do ....
NLBeev said:
On a PC or any other device with a browser you can access your Google account. Than change the password.
That is the first thing I should do ....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just remember, you have to wait 72 hours before performing a factory reset after changing your password.
https://support.google.com/nexus/answer/6172890?hl=en
Evolution_Freak said:
Just remember, you have to wait 72 hours before performing a factory reset after changing your password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes. Two things to do, when sending the device for repair the display.
If possible flash a factory image.
Change the Google password.
NLBeev said:
Yes. Two things to do, when sending the device for repair the display.
If possible flash a factory image.
Change the Google password.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why change your Google password? They cannot get into your Google account if you factory flash or reset.
rootSU said:
Why change your Google password? They cannot get into your Google account if you factory flash or reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because many people has gmail and other passwords in browser's memory and other data.
NLBeev said:
Because many people has gmail and other passwords in browser's memory and other data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By flashing the factory image, in its entirety, all of your account information would need to be entered before you could use the device again anyway. After the repair process, when the device is powered on, they would only see the start up screen, as if it were a new device.
NLBeev said:
Because many people has gmail and other passwords in browser's memory and other data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
Evolution_Freak said:
By flashing the factory image, in its entirety, all of your account information would need to be entered before you could use the device again anyway. After the repair process, when the device is powered on, they would only see the start up screen, as if it were a new device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
True.
OP wanted to avoid access to his device by others. In general it is good practice to change password from time to time.
It is a point of view. Do not rely only on the security of a system.
NLBeev said:
True.
OP wanted to avoid access to his device by others. In general it is good practice to change password from time to time.
It is a point of view. Do not rely only on the security of a system.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree. That's why in my first response, I said that very thing. However with a broken screen, he could not do this from his device. So it was recommend that he do it via the web. But with the new features of security, you must wait 72 hours after changing your password before factory resetting. I think it's a time issue and the OP wants to get their phone off to be repaired.
I recently purchased a nexus 6 off ebay, likely a mistake, and now that I try to run the setup i can't because i'm not the original account on the phone. Is there anything I can do to get past this step, remove the old user account and add myself to the phone? I know the security measure was put in for a reason, but it definitely makes it hard when someone like me gets the phone and is now stuck with a good looking paperweight. I have tried contacting the seller and getting them to provide me with their info for the purposes of setting it up but they are reluctant to offer that up. Unsurprisingly.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Fk
fkoulbot said:
I recently purchased a nexus 6 off ebay, likely a mistake, and now that I try to run the setup i can't because i'm not the original account on the phone. Is there anything I can do to get past this step, remove the old user account and add myself to the phone? I know the security measure was put in for a reason, but it definitely makes it hard when someone like me gets the phone and is now stuck with a good looking paperweight. I have tried contacting the seller and getting them to provide me with their info for the purposes of setting it up but they are reluctant to offer that up. Unsurprisingly.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Fk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry but the only way is with that password. This is fault of the seller, they did a factory reset without removing their Google account. If the seller won't help you, contact eBay resolution center.
@fkoulbot,
Unfortunately, plenty of threads here with the same situation.
What @Evolution_Freak said, or open a PayPal claim. Device "Significantly Not As Described". You'll get your money back.
Or, just post it back to him at his expense, and get him to do it properly.
"Hi,
I understand that you feel uncomfortable giving me your Google password. Since the phone is unusable without it, I will have to consider opening a paypal dispute.
To avoid this however, if you offered to cover the cost of 2 way postage of the device (+insurance), I could send the device to you to log into and remove your account properly before resetting and returning to me."
fkoulbot said:
I recently purchased a nexus 6 off ebay, likely a mistake, and now that I try to run the setup i can't because i'm not the original account on the phone. Is there anything I can do to get past this step, remove the old user account and add myself to the phone? I know the security measure was put in for a reason, but it definitely makes it hard when someone like me gets the phone and is now stuck with a good looking paperweight. I have tried contacting the seller and getting them to provide me with their info for the purposes of setting it up but they are reluctant to offer that up. Unsurprisingly.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Fk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey, buddy. I had the same thing happen to me on Swappa. Fortunately the guy was willing to give me his password... BUT in the 2 hours it took him to respond to my dilemma, I had already found a way around it. (Take note that my bootloader was already unlocked when I received the device.) Here's what I did.....
I tried flashing a couple different ROMs to no avail.
Then I realized it was because I was flashing 5.1 ROMs.
So, I found a 5.0.1 ROM that doesn't have the reactivation built in, flashed it, got it set up, then flashed a new 5.1 ROM. It worked for me but YMMV. I do believe having an unlocked bootloader in the first place helped. Hope that helps.
hyst3rical said:
Hey, buddy. I had the same thing happen to me on Swappa. Fortunately the guy was willing to give me his password... BUT in the 2 hours it took him to respond to my dilemma, I had already found a way around it. (Take note that my bootloader was already unlocked when I received the device.) Here's what I did.....
I tried flashing a couple different ROMs to no avail.
Then I realized it was because I was flashing 5.1 ROMs.
So, I found a 5.0.1 ROM that doesn't have the reactivation built in, flashed it, got it set up, then flashed a new 5.1 ROM. It worked for me but YMMV. I do believe having an unlocked bootloader in the first place helped. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks so much for that info. I had actually received and tried that but because it wasn't unlocked i was stuck. I did get the login info but now worried that they somehow have access to the phone. I noticed the label of a "group" of apps on my home screen was randomly changed. I did DL an antivirus app and it found something but I'm still worried about the security of the phone. Do you happen to have any suggestion on the best thing i can do to absolutely clear any of the old account information etc?
fkoulbot said:
Thanks so much for that info. I had actually received and tried that but because it wasn't unlocked i was stuck. I did get the login info but now worried that they somehow have access to the phone. I noticed the label of a "group" of apps on my home screen was randomly changed. I did DL an antivirus app and it found something but I'm still worried about the security of the phone. Do you happen to have any suggestion on the best thing i can do to absolutely clear any of the old account information etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing I would do is go into Settings -> Accounts and remove the Google account that it was originally linked on. Then add your own. Do a factory reset, and you should be fine. If you want to go the extra mile, set up the reactivation lock under your account. I do believe that should clear any permissions he may still have as they would be linked to his Google account.
fkoulbot said:
Thanks so much for that info. I had actually received and tried that but because it wasn't unlocked i was stuck. I did get the login info but now worried that they somehow have access to the phone. I noticed the label of a "group" of apps on my home screen was randomly changed. I did DL an antivirus app and it found something but I'm still worried about the security of the phone. Do you happen to have any suggestion on the best thing i can do to absolutely clear any of the old account information etc?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Boot to bootloader.
Fastboot format userdata
(Note that this will wipe everything, including contents of SDcard.
I would lock then unlock bootloader which would wipe the phone and then go to google and download latest builds and flash the phone to factory stock. Boot in, if there isn't anything funky, then I would made a backup of the stock and flash custom ROMs from that point. I like to check first if it works bone stock wiped before tinkering. That way if anything is still wrong with it I know who's at fault.
farangutan said:
I would lock then unlock bootloader which would wipe the phone and then go to google and download latest builds and flash the phone to factory stock. Boot in, if there isn't anything funky, then I would made a backup of the stock and flash custom ROMs from that point. I like to check first if it works bone stock wiped before tinkering. That way if anything is still wrong with it I know who's at fault.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why would you lock the bootloader? If you want everything wiped do > fastboot format userdata
cam30era said:
Why would you lock the bootloader? If you want everything wiped do > fastboot format userdata
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, more likely if it's locked I would just unlock, but yes the act of flashing it to factory images will wipe in one go. Relocking and unlocking is redundant.
Guys does anyone confirm that is any way you can remove the Google Account Lock on Nexus 6 that the previous seller didn't remove the Goggle Account?
Thanks in advance!
Im having the same dang issue!! Hopefully I can get it flashed since sell won't give me password.
I bought a nexus 6 and it is locked with the anti theft thing...cant get ahold of the seller and it doesnt show his info on the nexus at all. anyways does anyone have any thoughts on bypassing it ? I did try to sign into mine and it does sign and checks for update and then immediately signs out. Maybe a modified DNS server ? I also did try to reset it ..no lucky, also tried to flash android 5.0 but says boot loader needs to be unlocked. Is there a way to unlock boot loader without doing it in settings ? I did also try to fastboot oem unlock but says to do it in settings. I was thinking maybe modifying the stock image and go into the build prompt and change the value of the start up wizard to remove it but then the bootloader thing gets in the way. Someone help
jordy787 said:
I bought a nexus 6 and it is locked with the anti theft thing...cant get ahold of the seller and it doesnt show his info on the nexus at all. anyways does anyone have any thoughts on bypassing it ? I did try to sign into mine and it does sign and checks for update and then immediately signs out. Maybe a modified DNS server ? I also did try to reset it ..no lucky, also tried to flash android 5.0 but says boot loader needs to be unlocked. Is there a way to unlock boot loader without doing it in settings ? I did also try to fastboot oem unlock but says to do it in settings. I was thinking maybe modifying the stock image and go into the build prompt and change the value of the start up wizard to remove it but then the bootloader thing gets in the way. Someone help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Far as I know if it it is locked to his account there is no way without his password. If used paypal file with them to get money back.
prdog1 said:
Far as I know if it it is locked to his account there is no way without his password. If used paypal file with them to get money back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
my friend was the one who bought it , he sold it to me for $100. Maybe i should get it into a bootloop and then try to rma it ?
jordy787 said:
my friend was the one who bought it , he sold it to me for $100. Maybe i should get it into a bootloop and then try to rma it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea. It pretty much a paperweight as it is. Lot of people selling them and don't know they have to remove their Google account before resetting and selling.
prdog1 said:
Yea. It pretty much a paperweight as it is. Lot of people selling them and don't know they have to remove their Google account before resetting and selling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yup , i was also thinking maybe flashing a userdata.img from another phone ? Idk if the bootloader would stop me tho
jordy787 said:
Yup , i was also thinking maybe flashing a userdata.img from another phone ? Idk if the bootloader would stop me tho
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Need to be unlocked. Can't unlock if can't get to settings. That the whole theory of the security. Need that password. If you even reset without deleting your account and change your password can't get back in for 3 days with your own account..
http://forum.xda-developers.com/nexus-6/general/guide-properly-prepare-nexus-6-resale-t3104504
prdog1 said:
Need to be unlocked. Can't unlock if can't get to settings. That the whole theory of the security. Need that password. If you even reset without deleting your account and change your password can't get back in for 3 days with your own account..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in recovery there is apply update from adb which is adb sideload..Think i can sideload twrp?
jordy787 said:
in recovery there is apply update from adb which is adb sideload..Think i can sideload twrp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't think stock recovery will let you flash recovery from within itself. Would lose adb as soon as tried I would think.
jordy787 said:
in recovery there is apply update from adb which is adb sideload..Think i can sideload twrp?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
I got into the browser ,YouTube and Facebook worked wonder if I can trick it and have a shortcut that brings me to the home screen ?
So I bought this phone from eBay, like many before it. But this time it came with a twist: when I booted the phone, initial setup ran and all wend fine until I got to the register Google account screen.
There, the phone says: "This phone was reset. To continue, sign in with a Google Account that was previously synced on this device".
No matter what account I use, I always get a Toast message saying "Unable to sign in to device due to a unknown error. Please try another account or try to sign in again after 24 hours.".
I'm guessing this is some kind of theft protection where entering a previously synced account "proves" that you're the legit owner. The authorised service here told me that I need some kind of proof that I'm the legit owner and surely enough the eBay seller has issued no invoice containing the phone's IMEI (or any similar document).
Anyway, here I am with this gorgeous phone on my hands which is little more than a brick due to this.
Is there any way I could get it to work again? Returning it will just generate more costs for me and I'd like to avoid that.
I've seen guides on youtube where they managed to bypass this security measure, but both methods I've seen failed for me. I guess the version running on my phone is just too recent and plugged all the holes.
Do I have any way of downgrading the software at least? Note that this is a fully locked phone and I can't even start TWRP from fastboot.
Anything else?
Edit: Now that I'm re-reading this post, it occurred to me that there's very little chance that this phone wouldn't be a stolen one. Had it not been, the seller would easily issue me an invoice.
Leaving this post only because my searching hasn't turned up anything on XDA. Probably also reporting the guy on eBay.
velis74 said:
So I bought this phone from eBay, like many before it. But this time it came with a twist: when I booted the phone, initial setup ran and all wend fine until I got to the register Google account screen.
There, the phone says: "This phone was reset. To continue, sign in with a Google Account that was previously synced on this device".
No matter what account I use, I always get a Toast message saying "Unable to sign in to device due to a unknown error. Please try another account or try to sign in again after 24 hours.".
I'm guessing this is some kind of theft protection where entering a previously synced account "proves" that you're the legit owner. The authorised service here told me that I need some kind of proof that I'm the legit owner and surely enough the eBay seller has issued no invoice containing the phone's IMEI (or any similar document).
Anyway, here I am with this gorgeous phone on my hands which is little more than a brick due to this.
Is there any way I could get it to work again? Returning it will just generate more costs for me and I'd like to avoid that.
I've seen guides on youtube where they managed to bypass this security measure, but both methods I've seen failed for me. I guess the version running on my phone is just too recent and plugged all the holes.
Do I have any way of downgrading the software at least? Note that this is a fully locked phone and I can't even start TWRP from fastboot.
Anything else?
Edit: Now that I'm re-reading this post, it occurred to me that there's very little chance that this phone wouldn't be a stolen one. Had it not been, the seller would easily issue me an invoice.
Leaving this post only because my searching hasn't turned up anything on XDA. Probably also reporting the guy on eBay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From the Settings / About, what is exact (full) build name/number?
Generally, if you are on Nougat then IMO, rolling back to MM should completely reset your phone.
You cannot flash TWRP without unlocking Bootloader. But that will not help much for resetting Google protection.
Btw, enable Developer's menu, does it allow you to unlock FRP/OEM Unlocking - in that case you will be able to reset all from EMUI recovery.
zgfg said:
From the Settings / About, what is exact (full) build name/number?
Generally, if you are on Nougat then IMO, rolling back to MM should completely reset your phone.
You cannot flash TWRP without unlocking Bootloader. But that will not help much for resetting Google protection.
Btw, enable Developer's menu, does it allow you to unlock FRP/OEM Unlocking - in that case you will be able to reset all from EMUI recovery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He can't get passed the setup screen
Twisted Prime said:
He can't get passed the setup screen
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
- Boot to Recovery (switch off, press and keep pressing Vol+ and Pow). Does it boot to stock Recovery and does it allow there to Factory reset (it should but if FRP was unlocked)
- Boot to Fastboot (switch off, connect by USB to PC, press Vol- and Pow), do you see Phone (Bootloader) and FRP locked or unlocked?
zgfg said:
- Boot to Recovery (switch off, press and keep pressing Vol+ and Pow). Does it boot to stock Recovery and does it allow there to Factory reset (it should but if FRP was unlocked)
- Boot to Fastboot (switch off, connect by USB to PC, press Vol- and Pow), do you see Phone (Bootloader) and FRP locked or unlocked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is stock recovery. I don't recall the option for factory reset. In fact there's no options at all, save for reboots.
Fastboot says everything is locked as it should be.
Don't know how to downgrade to MM.
velis74 said:
It is stock recovery. I don't recall the option for factory reset. In fact there's no options at all, save for reboots.
Fastboot says everything is locked as it should be.
Don't know how to downgrade to MM.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Rollback instructions are here
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=72153575&postcount=2
But not sure would it allow you to setup.
That is Factory Reset Protection (FRP/OEM Unlocking) - if it was unlocked you would be allowed to reset from recovery.
You can ask seller - maybe he can login to his Google account and remotely remove Google account from the sold phone.
Or you can try DC Unlocker, not sure would it work
https://www.dc-unlocker.com/DC-Phoenix-flash-repair-tutorial
Well, DC unlocker ultimately worked, but not before buying a wrong package, having to ask tech support, etc, etc. Not to mention the guy really has no patience for people who don't have his level of understanding of the subject. Why does he do it then if he hates the whole thing so much?
velis74 said:
Well, DC unlocker ultimately worked, but not before buying a wrong package, having to ask tech support, etc, etc. Not to mention the guy really has no patience for people who don't have his level of understanding of the subject. Why does he do it then if he hates the whole thing so much?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So did you use DC Unlocker to unlock Bootloader or DC Phoenix to reinstall the phone?
zgfg said:
So did you use DC Unlocker to unlock Bootloader or DC Phoenix to reinstall the phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DC unlocker. I wanted minimal impact on the OS as the phone is for my daughter and she doesn't do custom ROMs et al
velis74 said:
DC unlocker. I wanted minimal impact on the OS as the phone is for my daughter and she doesn't do custom ROMs et al
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for bothering but I'm interested now - when Bootloader was unlocked (and FRP too), were you just able to pass setup or you needed to do Factory reset from Recovery or how did you get the stock ROM working for you
Final resolution: the seller sent me an invoice. I guess that means that the phone wasn't stolen after all since they can only expect that this will be entered into Huawei databases.
zgfg said:
Sorry for bothering but I'm interested now - when Bootloader was unlocked (and FRP too), were you just able to pass setup or you needed to do Factory reset from Recovery or how did you get the stock ROM working for you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The procedure was thus:
1. unlocker unlocked the FRP
2. phone rebooted into a factory reset (low level) mode - it specifically said "low level"
3. phone booted into normal Android where the FRP protection was no longer active. On screen where it previously demanded a previous Google account it now only demanded A (any) Google account as I'm used to from all the other phones I ever bought.
Sorry old post
Hi.
Updated my Pixel5a to latest android 13.
After unlocking bootloader and rooting the the phone with magisk the phone worked ok for a few days.
When suddenly after reboot it got to fastboot mode with failed to load/verify boot images error.
Tried to flash new image but every command I try now I get the "FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')" error
To make things worse i cannot switch the phone to recovery or rescue mode it always reboots to fastboot.
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Please help
Nobody encountered something similar?
First time since for me since I use smartphones(10+ years), a phone gets bricked so easily without a chance to revive it.
Here is your answer brother
Sorry I missed this.
Unfortunately, it looks like your bootloader is corrupted or malfunctioning, and the only way to fix this is by replacing the mainboard. There are special software tools that can perform a low level reflash, but they are not publicly available.
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Thank you!
niscy said:
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Thank you!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. If I was current when the OP happened, I would've suggested powering on with the button combo to try and get into recovery -- Hold the Power and Volume Down; make sure to try and hold it down for as long as more than a minute. If that doesn't work, I might try Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested, but that usually requires an unlocked bootloader. Still...since it's officially from Google (the phone's maker), it might have some special "magic" that it can pull of, but don't get your hopes up on that...
3. The currently accepted best method is the Swift Backup app, My Backup Pro is an old and good staple, but without root, there's not much it will be able to save. I believe Swift (can) locks it to your Google account and/or you can password protect the backups, but I'm not totally sure if they encrypt it as well as locking it in such manner; I don't believe My Backup Pro does anything like this. There's always adb commands that might be able to save a little bit more, but again, not by much without root access. And I don't think any unrooted backup method bothers to back up the non-system internal storage.
Sorry for your troubles and hopefully you get it all back up and running! And not to be to "scoldy", but it's always a good idea to back things up (I usually do when I manually update the firmware & security updates each month); I know it's a bit harder to remember when it's an update OTA because it's a lot less involved, but it can be a good trigger to remind to...
simplepinoi177 said:
And not to be to "scoldy", but it's always a good idea to back things up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree... I had it on my todo list forever, but I just couldn't find a good way to back it up without root. And I didn't want root, because in the past that has prevented certain apps from working (e.g., some banking apps would see it as a security issue and refuse to start) and it has created trouble with OTAs.
Will look into this "Swift" app then. It's a shame, this is so trivial with iPhones (fully encrypted iTunes backups).
simplepinoi177 said:
Hold the Power and Volume Down
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That combo takes me to Fastboot, but when I select "Recovery" from there, the phone just reboots into Fastboot again with the same errors. I can see the phone in "fastboot devices", though.
simplepinoi177 said:
Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
EDIT: I see the device in the Android Flash Tool, says "connected". It's in Fastboot mode and showing OP's screen. Let's see what I can do from here.
EDIT2: OUCH.
niscy said:
I have the same issue. After a broken screen replacement, my 5a would often freeze and turn off when these two conditions were met: Not connected to power + screen turned on.
I'm not 100% sure if it was connected to the screen replacement, given the problems only started occurring ~2 weeks later.
The phone would only turn on again when connected to power, even when the battery was already at 100%.
Unfortunately, I thought it was a software issue and didn't get it fixed immediately, so after one of the crashes I was greeted by the fastboot screen from the original poster above. Mine looks exactly the same (except for serial numbers etc.).
Current status:
Locked, unrooted, vanilla Android 13. Assume it's the January OTA, but could be December.
Recovery/Rescue modes don't work, I can only get into Fastboot. Selecting recovery will reboot into Fastboot.
Questions:
Is there a way to restore Android and how? Would it require a mainboard replacement like @V0latyle suggested?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With a locked bootloader, the only thing you can try to do is sideload an OTA, but if you can't get into recovery mode, I'm not sure there's anything you can do - a locked bootloader will reject commands such as boot, which would be useful in this case to live boot a good image...but if the bootloader was unlocked, you'd just be able to reflash /boot anyway
niscy said:
Is the user data on the phone lost, or could it be saved in the process (no recent backups)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately I believe nothing can be done to save it or back it up. If you could get into recovery and sideload an OTA, user data would be preserved, but since you can't get into recovery, that point is moot, because it looks like your only option to get the device working again is to have it repaired, which would most likely involve mainboard replacement and complete loss of all user data (except what was already backed up into the Google cloud)
niscy said:
What's the best way to back up an unrooted+locked+vanilla Pixel phone (without Google Cloud backup, given that's not E2E encrypted, afaik)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is none. Google cloud backup is the best way, but even this can't back up app data, and there is no way to back up app data without root, because of Scoped Storage - no app can access any other app's "private" data without root permissions.
simplepinoi177 said:
1. If I was current when the OP happened, I would've suggested powering on with the button combo to try and get into recovery -- Hold the Power and Volume Down; make sure to try and hold it down for as long as more than a minute. If that doesn't work, I might try Android Flash Tool as Noexcusses once suggested, but that usually requires an unlocked bootloader. Still...since it's officially from Google (the phone's maker), it might have some special "magic" that it can pull of, but don't get your hopes up on that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually the only thing that is required is that OEM Unlocking be enabled in developer options. If it is not, the Flash Tool won't work.
simplepinoi177 said:
3. The currently accepted best method is the Swift Backup app, My Backup Pro is an old and good staple, but without root, there's not much it will be able to save. I believe Swift (can) locks it to your Google account and/or you can password protect the backups, but I'm not totally sure if they encrypt it as well as locking it in such manner; I don't believe My Backup Pro does anything like this. There's always adb commands that might be able to save a little bit more, but again, not by much without root access. And I don't think any unrooted backup method bothers to back up the non-system internal storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Again, due to scoped storage, root permissions would be required to access any other app's private data to effect a "full" backup.
niscy said:
Will look into this "Swift" app then. It's a shame, this is so trivial with iPhones (fully encrypted iTunes backups).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you can boot into system, you'd be better off using Google Cloud Storage because at least that would back up device settings. Swift Backup won't do this, and is otherwise only able to access "generic" data - phone logs, texts, external storage, etc.
niscy said:
That combo takes me to Fastboot, but when I select "Recovery" from there, the phone just reboots into Fastboot again with the same errors. I can see the phone in "fastboot devices", though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you're toast, bud.
niscy said:
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, it's just a GUI alternative that only flashes official images. As I mentioned above this only works if OEM unlocking is enabled, or the bootloader is unlocked. A locked bootloader rejects commands like flash, boot, and update, so the flash tool unlocks the bootloader first (if not already unlocked) before proceeding with the flash.
niscy said:
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it does.
niscy said:
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can only do this with an unlocked bootloader. Even though it's the factory image, as I mentioned a couple times already, the commands necessary to flash the image are rejected by a locked bootloader.
As for wiping data, this only happens if you use the included script without editing out the -w. Some people with unlocked bootloaders prefer to update using the script, they just change it so it doesn't wipe data. I personally prefer updating using the factory image but I do everything manually through fastboot and ADB because I'm stubbornly old fashioned.
niscy said:
I agree... I had it on my todo list forever, but I just couldn't find a good way to back it up without root. And I didn't want root, because in the past that has prevented certain apps from working (e.g., some banking apps would see it as a security issue and refuse to start) and it has created trouble with OTAs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just so you know, there are ways & methods to keep apps from detecting root; I would say (as far as Pixel 2XL, Pixel 5, and Pixel 7's are concerned) about 95% of apps could be made to hide root from; I get Wallet, 3 banking apps, Netflix, Xfinity apps, & certain games which all shouldn't work with a rooted device to work. And, usually, if for some reason hidden detection stops working, it usually is worked on and works again within a short amount of time.
niscy said:
Android Flash Tool = the thing that you run in the browser, by clicking the "Flash" link on the Google website? Is that better than adb/fastboot?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Surprisingly, it is a thing you run from the browser...! It surprised the heck out of me too! I would've thought it was a tool you actually download and run... Be aware you most likely need like 3-4GB+ free on your system (usually C drive...
niscy said:
Also, do you mean for side-loading the OTA (see https://developers.google.com/android/ota)? I thought that required access to recovery?
Or are you talking about flashing the factory image (https://developers.google.com/android/images#barbet)? I haven't tried that, yet, but I assumed it would wipe my user data?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am talking about neither of those as they require you to have access to recovery mode and/or require an unlocked bootloader...
niscy said:
EDIT: I see the device in the Android Flash Tool, says "connected". It's in Fastboot mode and showing OP's screen. Let's see what I can do from here.
EDIT2: OUCH.
View attachment 5813733
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey! At least that's something! And hopefully, at least it's not a total loss...could be worse; you might've/could've had to wait while a repair shop completely replaced the motherboard.
If you end up having to wipe the device to recover, consider the worst case scenario where they replace the motherboard...it would mean a wiped device anyway....
Okay guys, thank you for the help so far @V0latyle @simplepinoi177
This is where I'm now:
It only gives me the "wipe" warning when I select the "Lock Bootloader" box, otherwise it directly proceeds to download the image without giving the warning.
How come I'm getting this far while I'm in Fastboot? Am I on the right path?
The image download failed a few times due to supposedly insufficient disk space (a lie). Turns out the problem was Incognito mode, seems that has restrictions that break the flash tool.
But now I'm getting the below instead after the image downloaded. Does that mean that the tool won't work, because my device is locked?
Flash Failed
Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'
niscy said:
Okay guys, thank you for the help so far @V0latyle @simplepinoi177
This is where I'm now:
View attachment 5813743
It only gives me the "wipe" warning when I select the "Lock Bootloader" box, otherwise it directly proceeds to download the image without giving the warning.
How come I'm getting this far while I'm in Fastboot? Am I on the right path?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See if you can get away with not checking "wipe device" or "lock[ing] bootloader"...
It automatically downloads the factory image -- that's why I said you have to have 3-4GB free on your hard drive...
You get that far because the AFT works in fastboot, and you luckily are still able to see fastboot in your device manager & be in fastboot mode...
I'd say you are on the right path....at least a lot more hopeful than replacing your mobo. But if all doesn't work, you may be required to wipe the device and/or lock the bootloader as well...
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
niscy said:
The image download failed a few times due to supposedly insufficient disk space (a lie). Turns out the problem was Incognito mode, seems that has restrictions that break the flash tool.
But now I'm getting the below instead after the image downloaded. Does that mean that the tool won't work, because my device is locked?
Flash Failed
Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'
View attachment 5813745
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, unfortunately this is bad news...
Most likely, I imagine and maybe @V0latyle can concur and/or elaborate, but it is most likely due to you not having OEM unlock ticked in the Developer Mode and an unlocked bootloader -- I stated before, but wasn't exactly sure as I've never tried it not on an unlocked bootloader, but that tool most likely doesn't work without having an unlocked bootloader (& thus also having OEM unlocked ticked as well)...I was just holding out hope that, since it was an official Google tool, it might've been able to do something for you (especially considering you could still see it as a fastboot device in your device manager)....
niscy said:
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, motherboard replacement requires a user data wipe. I'm unsure if the technician either does this just as policy/practice, or if after installing the new mobo, the Android OS requires it...but I imagine it is the latter...
It might be worth a try to check those boxes, but most likely will not work. Your bootloader is already locked, so "lock[ing] bootloader" is kinda redundant and wouldn't be necessary for it to work...
Okay guys, I think I'm officially ****ed. No matter what boxes I check, I get the error mentioned above ("Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'").
But even worse, I checked with some repair shop and they told me they won't even do motherboard replacements for out-of-warranty devices (because thieves would often use this service to "refurbish" stolen phones).
So I can't even get the motherboard replaced, unless I do it myself? **** my life.
niscy said:
Okay guys, I think I'm officially ****ed. No matter what boxes I check, I get the error mentioned above ("Fastboot command (flash:bootloader_b) failed: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready'").
But even worse, I checked with some repair shop and they told me they won't even do motherboard replacements for out-of-warranty devices (because thieves would often use this service to "refurbish" stolen phones).
So I can't even get the motherboard replaced, unless I do it myself? **** my life.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry to hear that it didn't work out...was a long shot...
Is there a uBreakiFix anywhere near you (they are the official repair company for Google)? If not, would it be possible to ship them the unit? Talk to Google versus talking to "some repair shop" (unless that repair shop you talked to was uBreakiFix, then that might be the policy; but I doubt it. Doesn't sound reasonable. I might try another store; even if you have to ship it to a distant one)...
Or course this all means you will have to spend $$$ to get it repaired, so be prepared for that...
niscy said:
Seems the next thing I would have to try is re-running the Flash Tool with the "Wipe device" and "Lock bootloader" boxes checked?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would have no effect on whether the tool works
niscy said:
Just to confirm, would the motherboard replacement require a user data wipe? If yes, then I guess I have nothing to lose at this point.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the storage lives in the flash devices, which live on the mainboard. A new mainboard would be preloaded with firmware, and would have to be programmed with your IMEI, but it would be like getting a brand new phone - no user data whatsoever.
simplepinoi177 said:
Yes, unfortunately this is bad news...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, hold on. We've got a lot of people all responding at once. @niscy if you could, hold off for a bit until we can get to the bottom of what your device state is and what you can and can't do.
simplepinoi177 said:
Most likely, I imagine and maybe @V0latyle can concur and/or elaborate, but it is most likely due to you not having OEM unlock ticked in the Developer Mode and an unlocked bootloader
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, one of these is required to use the Android Flash Tool (although if the bootloader is unlocked, OEM Unlocking is default "on"
simplepinoi177 said:
-- I stated before, but wasn't exactly sure as I've never tried it not on an unlocked bootloader, but that tool most likely doesn't work without having an unlocked bootloader (& thus also having OEM unlocked ticked as well)...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The bootloader doesn't have to start unlocked; as long as OEM Unlocking is enabled, the Flash Tool will automatically unlock the bootloader and perform the flash. I'm pretty sure this results in a data wipe.
simplepinoi177 said:
I was just holding out hope that, since it was an official Google tool, it might've been able to do something for you (especially considering you could still see it as a fastboot device in your device manager)....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Negative, the Flash Tool is simply a GUI interface for ADB Platform Tools and uses the same commands. Since, as I have explained multiple times, a locked bootloader rejects several commands required to flash the device, OEM Unlocking would have to be enabled at the very least to use the tool, which would then unlock the bootloader so that the commands will work.
The only "Google approved" way to update ALL devices regardless of OEM lock or bootloader lock is via OTA, because either update_engine in Android system, or the recovery kernel, is able to verify the update package. The bootloader is not capable of verifying packages applied externally; it can only compare certain partitions (such as /boot) against reference hashes (vbmeta images), which is why it's designed to reject all flashing and booting commands while locked
To be able to perform a complete factory reflash on a locked bootloader, the bootloader would have to have the ability to analyze and verify the entire update package, and it simply does not have the resources to do this. Bootloader only has three jobs:
Verify boot images
Load boot images
Provide USB interface (and must be unlocked to flash anything)
simplepinoi177 said:
Yes, motherboard replacement requires a user data wipe. I'm unsure if the technician either does this just as policy/practice, or if after installing the new mobo, the Android OS requires it...but I imagine it is the latter...
It might be worth a try to check those boxes, but most likely will not work. Your bootloader is already locked, so "lock[ing] bootloader" is kinda redundant and wouldn't be necessary for it to work...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I explained, it's because you'd essentially be getting a brand new phone that has never had user data on it. Wiping data on the old mainboard is unnecessary, but most repair centers don't have a way to transfer user data.
@niscy Before you go any further, let's establish where exactly "Square One" is. Please answer these questions:
Are you able to boot into Android system? Is recovery the only thing not working?
What have you tried to get into recovery mode?
When you attempt to boot into recovery, do you see an error message at the bottom of the bootloader screen?
Do you have any particular issue with backing up your data to Google Cloud if that option is possible?
V0latyle said:
1) Are you able to boot into Android system? Is recovery the only thing not working?
2) What have you tried to get into recovery mode?
3) When you attempt to boot into recovery, do you see an error message at the bottom of the bootloader screen?
4) Do you have any particular issue with backing up your data to Google Cloud if that option is possible?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1) Can't get into Android system, just Fastboot.
2) Select recovery from Fastboot mode with the volume keys. I also tried "fastboot reboot recovery" (doesn't seem to work on the 5a). It doesn't make a difference how I get into fastboot (just turning it on vs. voldown + power key combo).
3) Screen just goes black and stays black for 30-60 seconds or so. Then it goes back to the fastboot screen.
4) While setting it up, the explanations in Android suggested that it was not fully end-to-end encrypted. However, I found some articles online that say the opposite. So maybe I just got confused by ambiguous language.
EDIT: flashing without the Android Flash Tool fails too, obviously...
barbet-tq1a.230105.001 % ./flash-all.sh
Sending 'bootloader_b' (8762 KB) OKAY [ 0.350s]
Writing 'bootloader_b' FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')
fastboot: error: Command failed
Rebooting into bootloader OKAY [ 0.080s]
Finished. Total time: 0.080s
EDIT2: Seems there's enough E2E encryption in Google backups ... see https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/...n-apple-icloud-google-and-microsoft-accounts/
V0latyle said:
As I explained, it's because you'd essentially be getting a brand new phone that has never had user data on it. Wiping data on the old mainboard is unnecessary, but most repair centers don't have a way to transfer user data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting...I am aware that, for computers, replacing the motherboard doesn't necessarily touch data because that's usually stored on the hard drive. I figure the internal storage on a smartphone might be set up similarly and have it separated in something the same way (i.e. I imagine it's something similar to a microsd internal circuitry), and thus might not be touched simply by replacing the mobo. I wasn't insinuating that the repair centers would wipe old data that they were going to toss anyway; thought it was separate from the mobo and could possibly survive the exchange.
Thanks for clarifying! Also, I posted this here instead of PMing it because it is somewhat useful information that might help someone else understand things better (like me)...but I do apologize for the off-topic...
I just went back and read your first post. Failure to load/verify boot images means there's a dm-verity issue - as I mentioned previously, the bootloader verifies the integrity of the boot image as it's loaded; this prevents things like persistent rootkits. In this case, it's coming up against an error - the hash of the boot image does not match the verification hash in /vbmeta, probably because it somehow got corrupted during the update. With an unlocked bootloader this would be a fairly simple fix - just reflash /boot - but with a locked bootloader, this is pretty much impossible to fix.
niscy said:
1) Can't get into Android system, just Fastboot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, because as described above, the boot image is corrupted, and unfortunately, the boot image also contains recovery.
niscy said:
2) Select recovery from Fastboot mode with the volume keys. I also tried "fastboot reboot recovery" (doesn't seem to work on the 5a). It doesn't make a difference how I get into fastboot (just turning it on vs. voldown + power key combo).
3) Screen just goes black and stays black for 30-60 seconds or so. Then it goes back to the fastboot screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why the screen goes black for a while, it should just recycle back to the bootloader screen immediately
niscy said:
4) While setting it up, the explanations in Android suggested that it was not fully end-to-end encrypted. However, I found some articles online that say the opposite. So maybe I just got confused by ambiguous language.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. I won't be one of those people who advocates for using a product you don't believe in, but you also have to consider benefit vs risk - in this case, you really don't want to use your data, but you didn't implement an alternative for backups.
niscy said:
EDIT: flashing without the Android Flash Tool fails too, obviously...
barbet-tq1a.230105.001 % ./flash-all.sh
Sending 'bootloader_b' (8762 KB) OKAY [ 0.350s]
Writing 'bootloader_b' FAILED (remote: 'error getting device locked state Not Ready')
fastboot: error: Command failed
Rebooting into bootloader OKAY [ 0.080s]
Finished. Total time: 0.080s
EDIT2: Seems there's enough E2E encryption in Google backups ... see https://blog.elcomsoft.com/2021/01/...n-apple-icloud-google-and-microsoft-accounts/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah. At this point, I think you're pretty much limited to two options:
Pay for a repair (expensive)
Buy a new device (even more expensive)
I'm sorry there's no better answer. If OEMs like Google (or in this case, Foxconn as the manufacturer) made a point of providing low level flash tools and training to repair stations, then it might be possible to reflash the boot image. But, they don't do this for a litany of reasons, ranging from "it's cheaper to replace than to fix" to "tools like this could be used for major exploits in the wrong hands".
simplepinoi177 said:
Interesting...I am aware that, for computers, replacing the motherboard doesn't necessarily touch data because that's usually stored on the hard drive. I figure the internal storage on a smartphone might be set up similarly and have it separated in something the same way (i.e. I imagine it's something similar to a microsd internal circuitry), and thus might not be touched simply by replacing the mobo. I wasn't insinuating that the repair centers would wipe old data that they were going to toss anyway; thought it was separate from the mobo and could possibly survive the exchange.
Thanks for clarifying! Also, I posted this here instead of PMing it because it is somewhat useful information that might help someone else understand things better (like me)...but I do apologize for the off-topic...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, mobile mainboards are generally "all in one", with the SoC, modem, and storage all located on the same board. There are sometimes small daughterboards for things like camera modules and microSD/SIM card slots but for the most part everything is on the same board. All flashable storage is located on the same memory devices - this includes the most basic things such as the bootloader itself and the baseband image, as well as the system partitions, and of course the "userspace" data. Imagine if your hard drive was built into your motherboard, and also hosted your BIOS/UEFI.
There is only one more thing I can advise trying, and it will most likely not work: Try to switch back to the A slot. You can do this through fastboot: fastboot --set-active=a
Again, this is not likely to work because I believe the bootloader will reject this command as well.
An interesting note that isn't of much help right now: The whole point of A/B slots (and seamless system updates) is not just being able to update "on the fly" without booting into recovery and waiting 5-10 minutes for an update to finish, but also a "fail safe" so that if an update fails for whatever reason, the system should recycle back to the last working configuration.
Spoiler: It works like this:
Let's assume for the sake of argument you're on slot A, running the January update.
When the February update becomes available, update_engine downloads the update package, extracts it, and writes it to the inactive slot - in this case, slot B.
The bootloader is then commanded to boot slot B on the next reboot
When user reboots device, bootloader marks slot B as active and attempts to boot from that slot. There are a couple of markers here - a slot can be marked active, bootable, and successful.
Once boot proceeds past a certain point, the slot is now marked bootable. Once loaded into Android system, the boot is marked successful.
If for any reason slot B fails to boot, or crashes at a certain point, the device should automatically reboot back to slot A, and upon successful boot of Android, notify the user that the update failed.
I don't know why it failed to do that in this case. Apparently it thought slot B was both bootable and successful, and the failure didn't occur early enough to recycle back to slot A.