Google is making major changes to Android’s core operating mechanism to bring faster updates to all Android users. Google conceptualized Treble with Android Oreo, which promises to bring faster adaptation to newer Android versions. Moving development forward, Google released Android Q Beta GSI this year, which can be installed on any Treble-capable device. In this article, we will learn how we can install Android Q GSI long before the official release and taste the new experience of Android.
Things to Know Before Installing GSI
provided by Google Android Q Beta GSI images here, with installation instructions and everything. However, in our tests, the Poco F1 did not boot after flashing the official GSI. Google recommends that the device run Android Pie with the appropriate VNDK app. Therefore, it is up to device manufacturers whether they implement key changes as instructed by Google.
However, the XDA developer erfanoabdi It ported GSI with lots of hacks to make it work on multiple devices. Of course there are quite a few bugs but if you want to try Android Q GSI you can follow this guide. Note that the process is highly technical and requires a deep understanding of Android. If you are not familiar with the different layers of Android and have not flashed anything on your smartphone, DO NOT proceed.
Note: This process is not for your primary device as your device may be blocked during setup. Also, installing Android GSI will cause data loss on your phone. Therefore, we recommend that you try this on a secondary device for testing purposes only.
Install Android Q Beta on Any Android Device
Prerequisites for Installing Android Q GSI
- Unlocked Bootloader
- Treble capable device. We use Pie running Poco F1 in our tests.
- ADB and Fastboot. You can follow our guide to install ADB.
Downloads Required to Install Android Q GSI
- Download the Treble Control app (Free) and check if your device supports both Treble and Smooth updates. Treble support required to launch Android Q GSI While it’s not a smooth update. But Seamless updates will give you information on how your device is partitioned. If your device does not support Continuous updates, it means your device has only partition A. A/B partitioned if your device supports seamless updates. make a note.
- Depending on the device section, Download the overall image or Image moved by pixel from here. Make sure you download the latest version of the GSI image. I recommend you to download the one with Pixel port as it is more stable. After downloading, make sure to extract the .img file.
- Now, download FixZygote and Permissiver v2 from the MEGA link mentioned above.
- If you are using Poco F1 download customized vendor. The stock seller does not work with GSI, so the developers changed the seller as well. Similarly, you may need to call your device vendor in this section. Telegram group.
- Finally, download TWRP recovery for your device. Since I’m using Poco F1, I downloaded TWRP from: official source. Note that TWRP is device specific, so download the custom recovery for your device from here.
- Finally, you should have all these files in one directory.
Steps to Install Android Q Beta on Any Android Smartphone
1. Connect your device to PC and type “adb devices” on the command line. Make sure your device is listed and then type “adb reboot bootloader” and hit enter. It will boot your device in fastboot mode.
2. While in Fastboot mode, type “fastboot devices” to make sure the device is detected by the computer. Then type “fastboot flash” recovery and drag the TWRP image to the command line. It will look something like this. Now press enter.
3. Type now Drag “fastboot boot” followed by TWRP image and hit enter. Your device will now boot into TWRP recovery. On the first screen, swipe to allow changes.
4. Now, a smartphone tap on mountClick it and select Cache, System, Vendor and Data.
5. Also, go to Delete and do a factory reset.
6. Go again Delete → Format Data and type yes. It will delete all your files on your phone so be sure to back up all your files.
7. Now copy all the files downloaded on your PC to your device. Later on, Tap on Install → Select vendor file and swipe to flash.
8. Now, tap Install and Select “Upload Image” at the bottom. Next, select the extracted .img file and choose System from the menu. Now swipe to flash.
9. Press the home button and Tap Install then flash FixZygote and Permissiver v2. After you finish flashing, tap on Reboot System and then select Install on the next screen.
10. Your device will boot with the Google logo and the first boot will take 2-3 minutes. So be patient.
Is Android Q Beta GSI Available?
Currently, Android Q GSI is not suitable for daily use. There are tons of bugs in what is expected to be the first GSI released by Google. Even basic features don’t work properly as there are many hacks involved. We were unable to add google account or access the file storage on the Poco F1. Even USB access was broken and we could only access internal storage via TWRP.
If you’re an Android enthusiast who wants to try the new Android Q, you can go ahead and install it, but let me remind you again, it’s currently unavailable. You should wait for more betas and let the developers fix the bugs.
Android Q Timeline
Google has released Android Q Beta 2 as of now and will likely release Beta 3 at Google I/O in the first week of May. There will be 6 Betas in total and the final stable version will be released in August. So yes, it’s quite a long time before we get something like a daily driver. However, launching Android Q long before its release date is pretty exciting, paving the way for faster Android updates and showing the power of Treble.
SEE ALSO: Here Are The Phones That Will Get Android Q
Install Android Q Beta on Any Android Smartphone
This was our idea of how to install Android Q GSI on any Treble enabled smartphone. While the experience isn’t great at all, it’s definitely groundbreaking for the entire Android ecosystem. We hope that the development continues and that Android users do not become humiliated by Apple every year for the rate at which Android adopts its lackluster operating system. Finally, want to dig further into Android Q? For a better Android Q experience, we recommend waiting a few months and then installing it. If you have some questions about the installation process or can’t find the vendor file for your device, let us know in the comment section below. We will try to help you.
