How to Install Android 9.0 Pie?

This guide explains how to set up the device easily. just announced Android 9.0 Pie update on your Pixel or Pixel 2 device. After months of beta testing, Android Pie is finally ready for a few phones. You can wait for the over-the-air notification or install it manually using our help below.

Android 9.0 Pie comes with some exciting new changes that will affect your phone or apps. Eligible devices include the Pixel, Pixel XL, or Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Google has not released software for any of the Nexus devices. The beta is open to 11 different phones.

Today we will use a system image file to preload Android Pie. The Android 9.0 System Image is a download that contains all the files needed to install the stock version of Android P on your Pixel device. This is essentially everything you need to know and what you will download as an OTA update for regular Android updates.

Those who have already signed up for the beta can expect an over-the-air update notification at any time, which is the easiest. However, those in the beta program in previous years received the latest updates. So the fastest way is to just use Oreo and wait for the OTA notification or install manually with this guide.

This is something you can do from Windows, Mac, Linux or ChromeOS. There are multiple ways to do this and many things that can go wrong, but below are the easiest steps to do without spending hours installing all of Google’s developer software.

How to Install ADB on Windows, Mac, Ubuntu and ChromeOS

Before installing the Android 9.0 Pie update on your Pixel or Pixel 2, you need to install ADB and Fastboot on your computer. This is a program that runs on your PC/Mac to connect your Android device to a device via a USB cable and flash Android software.

Installing ADB and Fastboot is one of the most annoying parts of installing Android factory images, but few tools these days make it super simple. Alternatively, Google’s Flashing all ADB related contacts and files.

Those running Windows can download a 15 second adb installer to simplify the process and get up and running in just a few minutes.

Download ADB installer for Windows. Locate the file, right-click on it and choose Run as Administrator. When prompted, you must grant access to the application to run as administrator. Once the application has started type a Y and enter for Install ADB & Fastboot to select yes to install ADB/Fastboot system wide and install Drivers. When a new window opens, follow the steps to install the drivers.

After that, you are now ready to install Android Pie on your device.

How to Install ADB on Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS

Nexus Tools makes it easy to install ADB on a Mac, Linux, or even ChromeOS. You need to open a Terminal on the computer and Code from XDA. Open a terminal by going to search and just type Terminal to open it. Then copy/paste this code to get started.

This will install ADB and Fastboot on Mac, Linux and Chrome OS without you needing to do anything else. It’s extremely easy and avoids all the ADB package mess, which usually takes much longer to complete.

After the script is complete, type ADB or Fastboot to start running both processes. This is how you start flashing files or system images provided by Google. Don’t forget to go to settings > developer options and enable USB Debugging first. Newer devices must enable “OEM Unlocking” in developer options before you can unlock the bootloader and install the latest software. If you did this last year when you flashed Android O, you don’t need to do it again.

Manually Install Android Pie Today

The first thing you need to do is download Android Pie factory images. A factory image is basically a file that contains everything you would get from an over-the-air software update. Click the links below for each device and agree to the terms and download. Then continue to follow our instructions.

As usual, only certain devices are currently included in this list. These are the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Nexus 5X or 6P will not get Android P. Click the links below to download the new update.

Download the file and then read on to get Android Pie. Next, you need to unzip these files to a folder that you can easily access. We compressed it to our MAC desktop. After unzipping the Android P system image, you need to find it. Then type cmd in the address bar on Windows or open a terminal and point it to this new folder on Mac, Linux or Chrome OS. Reminder, if you are using a MAC, you need to make sure the terminal is running inside the folder you zipped. Right click, open Terminal in Folder.

If your Pixel is not bootloader unlocked, you should do that first. We were unable to install Android Pie on a locked device. This will delete it completely and remove all user data, settings, pictures etc. deletes. If you’ve ever installed any betas, you’ve already done so, so skip it.

Open a Terminal in the adb folder and type the following command and hit enter.

adb reboot bootloader

In fastboot type:

fastboot oem unlock

Then press enter. Follow the onscreen instructions and choose to wipe the device. Wait a minute or so to unlock. This removes everything from your device. If you don’t want to wipe your phone, wait for the second Android P developer preview as it will likely come with an easy update beta program.

Google Pixel users need to unlock the bootloader and then use it. Then keep rebooting and follow our steps.

Flash Android Pie Images

Next, unzip the folder containing the uncompressed Android 9.0 Pie System Image file you just downloaded from our instructions above. Type cmd in the address bar. Next, type the multiple commands posted below and hit enter. Or copy and paste to avoid mistakes. On Mac, you can open Terminal in folder by enabling terminal shortcuts in settings. . Go to System Preferences and select Keyboard > Shortcuts > Services. Find “New Terminal in Folder” in settings and click the box. Now when you’re in the Finder, right-clicking on a folder shows the option to open Terminal. Or do it from the desktop where you opened the Factory image as shown below.

Once in the terminal, simply copy and paste the commands below to install Android 9.0 on your Pixel or Pixel 2. The first line is command for Windows, then the second line for Mac.

flash-all.bat

This will burn all necessary files. If you are on one or another computer, you need to type;

sudo ./flash-all.sh

This will force all files and update your device to the new Android Pie software. Files will start sending and uploading and your device may reboot. The logo splash screen may stay for a long time. . This may take 10 minutes or longer the first time. You can unplug your Pixel when Android prompts you to complete the setup. It took less than five minutes for us.

Flashing Problems?

It is worth noting that some users may encounter one or a similar error, depending on which device you have Flash installed on. If you see a case 1 error, simply edit the flash_all script and remove the “-w” line at the bottom of the file. This is a step most people do anyway so they don’t “wipe” the device while installing the latest software. For whatever reason, deleting user data fails for some. Open and edit the flash_all file in the factory image file you downloaded and scroll to the bottom. Remove the -w as shown in red. This will prevent the flash from wiping your device and fix the case 1 error.

Then another error may occur causing the installation to fail. This is because of the way you are trying to flash the update. Instructions on how to get around this right here. Essentially users will need to unzip the update.zip folder and move all the images to the original folder we mentioned above. Then manually flash them one by one in response to the flash-all command we used here. Only do this if you run into problems with missing images. It takes a few more steps but they all work the same. It flashed just fine on my Pixel XL using a Mac.

Once done, you can enter your details or Gmail account and start using Android Pie and you’re all set. For what it’s worth, Android digital health checks are still missing. Google opened a digital wellbeing beta programfor those who are interested.