The first look at Android 12 has just arrived, courtesy of the developer preview release. The public beta program won’t be available for a few months yet, but if you can’t wait to get your hands on the next version of Android, here’s how to install Android 12 Developer Preview on Google Pixel devices.
Note: As a developer preview, Android 12 is likely to be unstable and not suitable for everyday use. Install at your own risk. This article will explain how to install the preview without completely cleaning the smartphone. If you are running a custom ROM, you must install a factory image instead of an OTA.
How to sideload Android 12 Developer Preview on Google Pixel
- Download the necessary files
- Initializing recovery mode
- Navigate to the ADB sideload
- Connect the device to a computer with ADB tools installed
- Enter the sideload command
- Restart your phone
1. Download Android 12
To get started, first you need to download the files needed to actually put Android 12 on your Pixel. There are two ways to do this. First, you can install a factory image, which cleans your phone and starts from scratch. Alternatively, and as we will detail here, there is an OTA file, which can be installed over your current version of Android without cleaning your phone.
You can download the OTA beta file from Google’s Full OTA Image hosting site. This site contains OTA downloads to sideload different updates, including Android 12, on each Pixel and Nexus device, so you need to scroll down to ensure you are downloading the file associated with your device. Available OTA Downloads on here.
For Android 12 Developer Preview, only Google Pixel 3 / XL, Pixel 3a / XL, Pixel 4 / XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5 are available. You will not be able to install it on the original Pixel / XL or Pixel 2 / XL.
2. Boot into recovery mode
Then, you will boot your Pixel into recovery mode. To do this, turn off the power completely. Then, hold down the Power button and the Volume down button at the same time until you reach the Bootloader page. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see an Android figure lying on the screen.
Using the volume buttons, scroll down until Recovery mode. Select this by clicking on the power button. Alternatively, if you are already connected to a computer with ADB, you can use the restart recovery command.
You should now see a smaller Android lying with an exclamation point on it. From here, press the Power button and the Volume up button for about a second to fully enter recovery mode. Releasing the Volume up button will send you to recovery.
3. Navigate to the ADB sideload
Using the volume buttons, scroll down until Apply the update from ADB and select it with the power button. This will open a mostly blank screen with text near the bottom directing you on how to sideload an OTA, like this for Android 12 Developer Preview.
4. Connect the device to a computer with ADB tools installed
This step is important because it is the only way to transfer the downloaded OTA file to your device. You will need to have the ADB and Fastboot tools in an accessible place. You can download the ADB tools from the Android developer website. You can also use ClockWorkMod’s universal ADB drivers, which can make the process a little easier on Windows devices.
5. Enter the sideload command
As long as everything is in place, you can now sideload the OTA file. On Windows, make sure that your Command Prompt is directed to the ADB tools folder and type adb sideload. If you’re on macOS or Linux, do the same thing in Terminal (use the “cd” and “ls” commands to make sure your Terminal is pointing to the right folder, search Google if you need help), but type ./adb sideload. Next, you will need to enter the file name of the .zip folder that you downloaded from Google and press Enter to start the process.
If everything is working correctly, you should see a dialog box on your computer and device that shows the process of sideloading and installation.
6. Restart your phone
Once the OTA installation is complete, you will be taken back to recovery mode. The last step to jump to the new update is to select the Restart now option with the power button.
Note: This process will not wipe your device, but it is a good practice to back up all irreplaceable data in case something goes wrong.
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