Develop Bugs

What is the cleanest way to install updates?

I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick

C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I prefer using multirom. What I do, is wait for a flashable full version of the latest and greatest stock from Tasssadar (he usually has one the same day or 2), then flash it as secondary, root it, install xposed, gb, and a couple other modules and viper4android, qualcom dalvik and bionic patches, flash elementalx, go into primary, make backups with TiB, go into recovery and do a complete nandroid, put them onto my meenova (and pc), delete all the big apps that take up a lot of room, then boot into secondary, restore android ID with TiB, install only small apps I need (I prefer reinstalling instead of restoring from backup), then use TiB to restore app data only (only the things I need) and wifi networks, once I am satisfied with it being complete, I use multiroms swap rom function to swap secondary to primary, then confirm it works, then I delete the secondary (which is the old version), then I install and restore data for the big items. If you have a 32GB N7, you probably can be more careless with the deleting of big app data.
This way I get a clean start, loose nothing and have multple ways of going back if I need to, also I can take my time restoring stuff and still use my working older version until I am ready.

C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, i think it depends a bit on what kind of update it is. Usually the "smaller OTA updates (like 4.3.1 to 4.3.2) doesnt wipe your system, so all you have to do is re-root it again (if you want). All Apps and Data is kept. If the update is one that changes the Android Version like 4.1 to 4.3 (wich wont happen on the Nexus) then i would suggest a factory-reset before and maybe even after again, yes.
Off topic a bit: To be honest, i never bothered with backup systems because i somehow doesnt feel its a good idea but that is really my own thinking, im very aware that many ppl use backups successfully.
Games i play are usually saved on the server anyway, contacts, emails and all that are automatically there anyway if you use a google account and if your system is set to automatically restoe apps then all the apps get automatically downloaded again anyway.
Somehow i dont seem to use a single app that needs data to be backed up. And theres none that comes to my mind, besides savegames of non-server-saved games probably. But for that theres Helium. The cloud (be it "owncloud" or the official ones) saves me all this trouble with backups.

For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.

espionage724 said:
For the cleanest install I can think of (and usually do myself):
1. Grab latest factory image from Google and extract it so you're left with a folder with scripts and stuff (can be 4.4.4, or even L preview atm; folder should look similar to razor-lpv79)
2. Get platform-tools (either straight from Android SDK or from a trusted location (do not use a toolkit) ; make sure it's up-to-date, and for a good idea, add the executable path to PATH)
3. Boot N7 to Bootloader (power it off, hold vol down + power)
4. Unlock bootloader via fastboot oem unlock (confirm it on N7 with vol and power buttons)
5. Run flash-all.bat found in the factory image folder (fastboot executable either needs to be put into that folder, or you need it on PATH already)
6. Watch the tablet and wait for it to reboot, immediately when it reboots, hold vol down and go back to bootloader
7. Do fastboot oem lock to re-lock the bootloader
8. Boot to recovery
9. Clean Cache, then Data/Factory Reset (in that order)
10. Reboot
11. Profit
That process should ensure future updates work without issue or snag But of course you'd lose root. You probably don't have to re-lock the bootloader though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.

mdamaged said:
In fact, unless it's going back to the factory I'd recommend never relocking it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience

espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To each their own I guess.:good:

Thanks to all who responded. Good info and ideas on installs. I may end up doing a clean install and following the methods you all mentioned. Right now, I'm monitoring the performance to see if anything further is necessary.
Thanks,
Rick

espionage724 said:
It's not really too much trouble to unlock it again, but if anything, re-locking it can be pretty nice from a security-standpoint.
I mainly just re-lock it just to keep that Google experience
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that it's not too much trouble to unlock the bootloader BUT... you will completely wipe your entire device everytime you unlock the bootloader! There is only one way that I know of to get around that. "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" is supposed to be able to unlock the bootloader without wiping the device but for it to work you will have had to unlock the bootloader to gain root beforehand, then you can use the app to lock unlock. I've never used "BootUnlocker for Nexus Devices" so I can't make any claims as to how well it works or if it will continue to work after future updates. If you ever want to fastboot flash the factory image or parts of a factory image the bootloader will need to be unlocked. And as far as I know to flash images with a toolkit (I don't use any) like Wug's the bootloader needs to be unlocked. Unlocked bootloader from a security standpoint? You're absolutely right that there is a risk! IF your device physically ends up in someone else's possession. We do have the "Android Device Manager" now that gives the ability to locate and wipe our devices. And, I have an additional theft warranty provided by Ruger so I don't spend much time worrying about losing any devices. ; ) There are much bigger security risks from just being rooted and/or having "unknown sources" enabled, web exploits and sideloaded apps. Unless you leave your device completely stock and unrooted, relocking your bootloader can create a significant hurdle that needs to be overcome to solve problems, especially for inexperienced android users. For what it's not worth, just my 2 cents! ; )
Update: after doing some research and installing BootUnlocker it seems to work well! Sweet! I don't need it and prefer to just stay unlocked so I'm deleting the app. Downside of having a locked bootloader is if you can't boot up and want to flash the system or factory images you'll need to "fastboot oem unlock" which equals "wiped device"
C5Longhorn said:
I'm fairly new to Android and the Nexus 7. I am unlocked, rooted, and have installed Ti Backup. I just recently received the OTA for 4.4.4 and installed it, and then manually loaded TWRP back and rerooted.
This doesn't seem like the cleanest install (maybe it's my OCD tendencies with hardware and software), so I'm wondering what is the best way to install Android updates? Should I reset to the factory image and then use Ti back up for all my apps? Is the way I proceeded just as good as other possible methods? My goal is to follow a plan that will support the 7 performing as best as possible.
Any info or opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you and I feel the same way about OTA updates. I've always felt that flashing the factory image will provide a much more consistent and reliable result. I'm not a big fan of using the OTA's but do use them occasionally for very small updates like 4.4.4. Usually the bigger OTA updates will fail because I have too many modified files in the system and because they are bigger I would rather flash the image anyway. Generally, for the most part, I will open the factory image and pull (extract) from there the specific images that were updated in the OTA and fastboot flash those. On the N7 only the system image was changed with the 4.4.4 update. The 4.4.3 update changed the boot and system images. You can either flash the images that are needed for the update individually or the whole factory image. Flashing the individual images will not wipe your storage, settings or user apps and the factory image Can also be flashed without wiping your storage, or losing your installed apps and settings. When you extract the factory image you will see;
bootloader-flo-flo-04.02.img
flash-all.bat
flash-all.sh
flash-base.sh
image-razor-ktu84p.zip
Inside the "image-razor-ktu84p.zip" is where you will see the individual images;
android-info.txt
boot.img
cache.img
recovery.img
system.img
userdata.img
To flash the factory image without wiping data all you have to do is open up the 'flash-all.bat' with editpad lite or whatever notepad you use and remove the -w from the text. The -w flag will cause the userdata.img to be flashed which wipes your device. If you really want to make sure the os is clean you can do a factory reset with TWRP after flashing the images which will wipe the cache, data and dalvik and remove any settings but will leave your storage intact. I seldom do that though. If you are using a custom recovery it will be replaced with the stock recovery image when you flash the factory image which is why I generally flash the images separately. Not a big deal though because it only takes a few seconds to fastboot flash a custom recovery. My bootloader is always unlocked and I always have TWRP installed on my devices. Leaving TWRP installed gives the ability to flash an OTA that you sideloaded if you don't want to wait for it to get to your device. When you flash the system image, factory image or an OTA you will always lose the supersu binary which causes you to lose root. Before booting up after flashing the images you can go into your custom recovery and flash the supersu zip to regain root. Which is what I always do and I always leave a recent copy of the supersu zip on my devices. I always recommend learning how to use adb/fastboot, toolkits work fine for a lot of people but learning adb/fastboot is not hard and gives you more options and a better understanding of what is being done. A lot of problems you see posted here in the forums are from inexperienced users that are using toolkits. Just saying! ; )

Thanks for the response. I'm actually going back to just using adb/fastboot and flashing. I seem to run into more hiccups using toolkits that just a command line window.
Rick

Incomplete install of Nougat 7.1.1

Today i tried to update my Nexus 5x from Android 6.0.1 to Nougat 7.1.1.
I hadn't followed any update nor tried to modify in any way my phone since last June, when I installed for the first time my first ROM, so i just downloaded the latest version of Nougat, installed the sdk and TWRP on my device and wiped all the data without any backup.
Obviously without Android my phone couldn't turn on, and after various tries, i placed into the internal memory all the .img of nougat, and installed manually one by one the: 1.Vendor, 2.System, 3.boot.
I couldn't find a place where to install manually the reaming: cache, recovery, user data.
Is there any way i can check if i missed any step, or i was supposed to install these other .img somewhere else, or i did everything in the correct way?? (My phone at the moment seems to work fine, it's syncing my account, and all the apps seems to work)

Also to specify, my original intent it was to attempt a factory reset, to erase previous ROM, kernel, Root and various bad configuration that made my phone slow. I just would like to make sure my phone is as new, with no old configuration.
On the startup tho it still had the previous wallpaper and icon distribution over the screen.
Did i do a factory reset or not?

SordiSpicci said:
Today i tried to update my Nexus 5x from Android 6.0.1 to Nougat 7.1.1.
I hadn't followed any update nor tried to modify in any way my phone since last June, when I installed for the first time my first ROM, so i just downloaded the latest version of Nougat, installed the sdk and TWRP on my device and wiped all the data without any backup.
Obviously without Android my phone couldn't turn on, and after various tries, i placed into the internal memory all the .img of nougat, and installed manually one by one the: 1.Vendor, 2.System, 3.boot.
I couldn't find a place where to install manually the reaming: cache, recovery, user data.
Is there any way i can check if i missed any step, or i was supposed to install these other .img somewhere else, or i did everything in the correct way?? (My phone at the moment seems to work fine, it's syncing my account, and all the apps seems to work)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use a computer and fastboot to do this upgrade. Follow section 11 of my guide to upgrade successfully to stock March 7.1.1 N4F26T. Boot into TWRP to perform a factory reset then reboot into the bootloader to install each img.

SlimSnoopOS said:
Use a computer and fastboot to do this upgrade. Follow section 11 of my guide to upgrade successfully to stock March 7.1.1 N4F26T. Boot into TWRP to perform a factory reset then reboot into the bootloader to install each img.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot! that's the post i was looking for

Pixel XL 1 not getting OTA Updates

Hi,
am using a Pixel XL 1 on Android 8.1, bootloader unlocked, patch level of February. Now I have the problem that since about December no OTA updates are shown/offered at all. Therefor I always had to manually update.
Even the manual triggering of searching for updates, which has recently been changed so that the devices explicitly should get the currently available update, does not work.
The device was rooted, but I have unrooted it (Magisk) now, and is running the standard firmware from Feburar on it.
Does anyone have any clue why my device is not offered any OTA updates?

Anyone?

What kind of recovery do you have installed? Stock or TWRP?

Kream24 said:
What kind of recovery do you have installed? Stock or TWRP?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stock. So everything should be as vanilla as possible! I'm really clueless.

i don't get it either. pixels running a non-stock os should get notifications about a new update. they won't install successfully though. i'm guessing, but maybe going through the unroot process to get rid of magisk did not return your os to completely stock. maybe some junk was left behind and that's causing your issue.
my suggestion is to flash a full factory image to start fresh. i would edit the flash-all.bat script to remove the -w option to keep data. if that doesn't work, put the -w option back and rerun to wipe data and flash the factory image. if you really want to see if that fixes your problem, flash an older image like the february or january one, and see if the update notification comes back. or flash the march image to be up to date and wait until april to see if you get the update notification.

altwu said:
i don't get it either. pixels running a non-stock os should get notifications about a new update. they won't install successfully though. i'm guessing, but maybe going through the unroot process to get rid of magisk did not return your os to completely stock. maybe some junk was left behind and that's causing your issue.
my suggestion is to flash a full factory image to start fresh. i would edit the flash-all.bat script to remove the -w option to keep data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I've did already No difference.
if that doesn't work, put the -w option back and rerun to wipe data and flash the factory image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's just the hassle installing everything from scratch again.
I wish recovery/backup was as easy as on iOS. Without necessity of any tricks, root etc.

Is this phone enrolled in the Android Beta Program ? I've had trouble getting OTA updates on my phone after the beta program ended for it until I un-enrolled from the program, then I got updates like normal. There will be warnings about having to wipe the device, but if your on the the stock/stable version already you won't have to.

shaneledford said:
Is this phone enrolled in the Android Beta Program ? I've had trouble getting OTA updates on my phone after the beta program ended for it until I un-enrolled from the program, then I got updates like normal. There will be warnings about having to wipe the device, but if your on the the stock/stable version already you won't have to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tried that one as well. I was on a beta at some point, but unsubscribed from the beta. Also tried to unsubscribe again, but it the well know link took me to a page where it said that there is no beta, hence I couldn't try to unsubscribe again.

When you flashed the full factory image did you use the newest march update? if you did then you wouldnt get anything because you are already current

Gotta say, exactly the same problem.. stuck on 8.0 November lol. Haven't found a solution, too lazy to manually flash for now. Let me know if you find a solution!

have you tried deleting the data and cache on the google services app?

How Do I Flash Factory Image?

It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.

acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If your wanting to flash a factory image, you'll need a few things first.
I would highly recommend that you look over the linked thread carefully. It has many links and tips to help you on your way :good:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/pixel-2-xl/how-to/guide-unlock-flash-root-pixel-2-xl-t3702418

acheney1990 said:
It's been some time since I've done this so I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I've had my Pixel 2 XL for like a month now...but since day one I've gotten occasional force closes of various apps. Well next week I'm going with a new carrier (Koodo here in Canada) and I thought it would be a great time to flash a factory image to make sure everything is correct. Also when does Google release monthly updates? Is it the first week of April, maybe I'll just wait and flash that factory image when it comes out. Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://developers.google.com/android/images

Make sure you have the latest adb and fastboot. Get them from Google...
Go get the latest image and Unzip it. Do not Unzip the folder inside. Move everything you just unzipped into the folder with adb and fastboot.
Now, if you've unlocked and unlocked critical, great. If you haven't unlocked critical, you'll have to. The system image won't install if the bootloader is out of date. Sadly, this will wipe your data.
If both are already unlocked, then open the flash-all file with a text editor and remove the,"-w" and the space preceding, then save the file. Removing the -w will keep your data. Run the flash-all.bat file and in about 10 minutes everything will be flashed.

back to stock
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls

lomski said:
how to back on stock ....i sell the phone and want all stock...no root no boot loader unlocked ...what is the fastest way pls
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First thing!! Forget fast!! You need to fastboot flash a full factory image with the -w still in the script. Maybe even do it twice. Then go in and do a factory reset from the OS for good measure. Once that is done and you know it reboots you can go through the locking command. I would NOT toggle the OEM switch in dev though.
Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using XDA Labs

So this has been a a very frustrating experiance but I think I've got everything working again. I don't know how many times I've flashed different factory images and then tried to install TWRP and then install a new custom rom. So I want to explain all of the steps I took (if I remember them all).
0. I couldn't boot into my system but had TWRP installed. At this point I should have tried to get all my data from the sd card via "adb pull /sdcard" .
1. I didn't find any option to fix my system. So I followed this guide to install a factory image (link).
3. I skipped through all of the setup processes and gave my phone wifi. Then I went into the system and did a factory reset.
4. After skipping thourgh the setup again I enabled adb and bootet into the bootloader "adb reboot bootlader"
5. From the bootloader I booted into TWRP by "fastboot boot twrp-3.3.0.0-taimen.img. In the recovery I set the display time out to 300s because for some reason once the phone timed out I could get into twrp any more and the screen stayed black.
6. I transferred the twrp installer and my rom by " adb push TWRP_installer.zip /sdcard/Download" and " adb push ROM.zip /sdcard/Download"
7. I first added the TWRP installer to the flash queue and then I added the rom and then falshed them both. This allowed me to install the rom.
8. For some reason TWRP was not installed. So repeat step 5 and only flash the TWRP_installter.zip
Problems I had:
- In twrp I often got errors that said unable to mount system or vendor. I decided to ignore the error but this thread might help
- Installing TWRP while the stock rom is installed led to the problem that touch didn't work in TWRP
- Entering a pin for the stock rom and then installing TWRP led to TWRP asking for a pin to decrypt my data. Apparently this is not the case if you use a stock image which is older

After flashing stock ROM ota and twrp installer zip the only way to get TWRP to respond to touch is if you disable screen lock and connect to your PC before booting TWRP.
I've found the most reliable way to flash factory images is do it manually with fastboot, latest platform tools installed and a Linux OS like Ubuntu or pop os.
But first do some research and get comfortable with fastboot commands. And dear god don't relock your bootloader unless you're ?% sure it's totally stock.

@schpongo,
Also, a good point to keep when flashing via TWRP is to flash/install ONE AT A TIME. As per the great @Az Biker, you should even reboot to the bootloader after each subsequent flash/install. So, in your case, it seems that you might/should be rebooting to the bootloader three times; one for TWRP installation, one for flashing the custom ROM, and one more for any other subsequent installation (i.e. custom kernel or custom font)...
Also, as it's been said before, but stock kernel doesn't play nice with touch commands on TWRP, and (usually) the only way around it is to reboot into bootloader using the adb command -- as opposed to holding the volume-down button or from an app.
I know you figured this all out already, but it might bear repeating just in case you didn't know and/or to help any other users here...

General Had issue with OTA sideload of 2nd February update, device is corrput, now working

I had a strange and new issue for me today. Went to sideload the OTA update (2nd February 2022 update). I have been doing it this way for the last few, with no issues. All seemed fine, but got an error when trying to flash the new magisk boot.img. Tried again and seemed to go thru. Rebooted then to bootloop. Keep trying and nothing, tried to get back in and flash again, also tried flashing stock boot to all slots, nothing.
So I had to resort to using the flash tool (in chrome). I assumed I would lose all and had made backups prior, so I would make it work. Using the flash tool, got in, got device connected. Then I selected the .004 build and unchecked all options. I can't remember for sure but I think I also unchecked the force flash all partitions/slots (I think that is what it was called). The flash tool did its thing and came back online, and seemed like no data loss, which was great. I then re-downloaded platform tools, factory image and OTA, got fresh boot.img, patched in magisk, flashed it and all good. After that, I did the direct install too, just in case, but I don't think that is needed, but doing so didn't mess anything up.
Not sure if this is normal, or helpful to anyone, but in my frantic searching, I didn't see a ton on this, so thought I would share it in case it happens to anyone else.
I have a feeling I should do what I normally do, reboot my pc and then download all items needed and flash away. I usually do that and haven't had issues to date. All ended up being good. If anyone runs into this, hope this helps you out.
Thanks for all the info on this forum, it is a great help to keeping my phone updated and running.

I had same problem

I had no issues. Same process... Recovery, ota sideload, reboot, let it finish setting up, patch boot.img extracted from full image, reboot into bootloader and flashed boot sector. All is fine.

I know this is a little dumb but this is my first pixel and I usually restored my samsung phones with odin. Does anyone have a guide how to unroot the Pixel 6 Pro and flash stock firmware incase I need this in future instances, All I can seem to find is Rooting guides.

DirtyPISTOLA said:
I know this is a little dumb but this is my first pixel and I usually restored my samsung phones with odin. Does anyone have a guide how to unroot the Pixel 6 Pro and flash stock firmware incase I need this in future instances, All I can seem to find is Rooting guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you can just use the flash tool. Check the appropriate options and it should wipe everything and return it to stock. It looks like you can even use it to lock bootloader again, if you wanted to. This was my first time using it. I may play around with it on one of my old pixels. Never had a use for it before, but came in very handy this week. Probably good for me if I know a bit more about it and how to use it.

DirtyPISTOLA said:
I know this is a little dumb but this is my first pixel and I usually restored my samsung phones with odin. Does anyone have a guide how to unroot the Pixel 6 Pro and flash stock firmware incase I need this in future instances, All I can seem to find is Rooting guides.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Within the guide is this post and I'm sure many other posts.
[GUIDE] Pixel 6 "oriole": Unlock Bootloader, Update, Root, Pass SafetyNet
⚠️⚠️⚠️WARNING! IF YOU ARE UPDATING TO ANDROID 13 FOR THE FIRST TIME, READ THIS FIRST! ⚠️⚠️⚠️ If you are looking for my guide on a different Pixel, find it here: Pixel 3 Pixel 3XL Pixel 3a Pixel 3aXL Pixel 4 Pixel 4XL Pixel 4a Pixel 4a (5G)...
forum.xda-developers.com
Here's the guide: https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/guide-root-pixel-6-oriole-with-magisk.4356233/

Thank you all, I figured out that online flash tool is a thing. I got it now.

hpower1 said:
I had a strange and new issue for me today. Went to sideload the OTA update (2nd February 2022 update). I have been doing it this way for the last few, with no issues. All seemed fine, but got an error when trying to flash the new magisk boot.img. Tried again and seemed to go thru. Rebooted then to bootloop. Keep trying and nothing, tried to get back in and flash again, also tried flashing stock boot to all slots, nothing.
So I had to resort to using the flash tool (in chrome). I assumed I would lose all and had made backups prior, so I would make it work. Using the flash tool, got in, got device connected. Then I selected the .004 build and unchecked all options. I can't remember for sure but I think I also unchecked the force flash all partitions/slots (I think that is what it was called). The flash tool did its thing and came back online, and seemed like no data loss, which was great. I then re-downloaded platform tools, factory image and OTA, got fresh boot.img, patched in magisk, flashed it and all good. After that, I did the direct install too, just in case, but I don't think that is needed, but doing so didn't mess anything up.
Not sure if this is normal, or helpful to anyone, but in my frantic searching, I didn't see a ton on this, so thought I would share it in case it happens to anyone else.
I have a feeling I should do what I normally do, reboot my pc and then download all items needed and flash away. I usually do that and haven't had issues to date. All ended up being good. If anyone runs into this, hope this helps you out.
Thanks for all the info on this forum, it is a great help to keeping my phone updated and running.
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Did you check the downloaded files via checksum?

If you update via OTA, whether via delta or sideload, you CANNOT interrupt the boot process, otherwise the device assumes the update has failed.
Additionally, if you try to use an older boot image, you'll get the same result.
The recommended means of update is either delta OTA + install to inactive slot in Magisk, or factory image + patch new boot image in Magisk.