Develop Bugs

How to update OTA with Magisk (can I just sideload without risk of bootloops)?

So I can't remove Magisk ("stock boot.img backup does not exist") so I was wondering if it was safe to sideload the November OTA (the whole 1GB file, not sure how to do just the 60MB delta update) and I assume that removes Magisk but keeps userdata, but does that cause any issues e.g bricks or bootloops?
I'm on 8.0 October Security Patch. My main aim isn't to remove Magisk, but I guess I have to to update to the Nov patch, and then reinstall it

brpqzme said:
So I can't remove Magisk ("stock boot.img backup does not exist") so I was wondering if it was safe to sideload the November OTA (the whole 1GB file, not sure how to do just the 60MB delta update) and I assume that removes Magisk but keeps userdata, but does that cause any issues e.g bricks or bootloops?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
First, try the
[2017.10.15] Magisk v14.0 - Root & Universal Systemless Interface [Android 5.0+] by topjohnwu - Magisk-uninstaller-20171123.zip
If that doesn't work download the appropriate Factory Image for your phone.
Go to Android 8/Oreo and do #5 to save data.

I'll give this a shot now!
Do I need to disable any Modules before flashing the ZIP? Couldn't find a definite answer searching online
Homeboy76 said:
First, try the
[2017.10.15] Magisk v14.0 - Root & Universal Systemless Interface [Android 5.0+] by topjohnwu - Magisk-uninstaller-20171123.zip
If that doesn't work down the appropriate Factory Image for your phone.
Go to Android 8/Oreo and do #5 to save data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

brpqzme said:
I'll give this a shot now!
Do I need to disable any Modules before flashing the ZIP? Couldn't find a definite answer searching online
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't know, but I don't think it would hurt to disable the modules.
Just don't lock the bootloader.

So in case anyone else reads this -
For some reason, flashing the MAGISK UNINSTALLER ZIP caused a soft brick (device would boot only into fastboot and then "NO COMMAND", not boot into OS).
I'd already downloading the factory images from your links, so I flashed BOOT.IMG onto both slots, A and B.
Device then booted back into the OS, no data lost etc. But Magisk w
Still wouldn't accept OTA.
Flashed OTA as per the link you gave with flashall, worked fine. Will flash Magisk through TWRP next.
Thanks

brpqzme said:
So in case anyone else reads this -
For some reason, flashing the MAGISK UNINSTALLER ZIP caused a soft brick (device would boot only into fastboot and then "NO COMMAND", not boot into OS).
I'd already downloading the factory images from your links, so I flashed BOOT.IMG onto both slots, A and B.
Device then booted back into the OS, no data lost etc. But Magisk w
Still wouldn't accept OTA.
Flashed OTA as per the link you gave with flashall, worked fine. Will flash Magisk through TWRP next.
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please go to the link below and post the information about the problem Magisk-uninstaller-20171123.zip caused:
[2017.11.23] Magisk v14.0 - Root & Universal Systemless Interface [Android 5.0+] by topjohnwu
Why? So, topjohnwu can fix it or tell you why it didn't work. The link above is where I got the 'Latest Uninstaller (Support v1+)' from.
Also it would help if you add the make and model of your phone, Magisk- version you were trying to uninstall.
Flashed OTA as per the link you gave with flashall

Posting here instead of creating a new thread.
Same issue as OP except i have TWRP installed as well, so SYS.img is altered as well so i can't take OTAs. Does the factory image also contain system flash?
On the OTA page, it says make sure your device is up to date, but im on October's image and cannot move to November's. Should i flash October and let it OTA to current or safe to flash November. Thinking of just going to 8.1 beta but one step at a time.

AlPoo said:
Posting here instead of creating a new thread.
Same issue as OP except i have TWRP installed as well, so SYS.img is altered as well so i can't take OTAs. Does the factory image also contain system flash?
On the OTA page, it says make sure your device is up to date, but im on October's image and cannot move to November's. Should i flash October and let it OTA to current or safe to flash November. Thinking of just going to 8.1 beta but one step at a time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you go to settings System Updates can you update?
If not Download the appropriate (October 2017) Factory Image for your phone.
Go to Android 8/Oreo and do #5 to SAVE data or #4 to WIPE data.
This will remove root and you should get the OTA.

Best/Safe way to Update

Good morning all,
I am on the first version of android 9 and would really like to update because of many bugs. I have root and FlashKernel that I installed by temp booting to TWRP (without install). That seems to have broken my OTA. What is a safe way to update to the latest version of the OTA?

joshuadjohnson22 said:
Good morning all,
I am on the first version of android 9 and would really like to update because of many bugs. I have root and FlashKernel that I installed by temp booting to TWRP (without install). That seems to have broken my OTA. What is a safe way to update to the latest version of the OTA?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Either temp boot into twrp again and flash the latest OTA zip, or, fastboot the factory image with the -w removed from the flash-all.bat file. Neither will wipe your data. Always a good idea as well to backup all your data before you begin, and to remove screen lock security and substratum themes so as not to have any unwanted problems :good:

Badger50 said:
Either temp boot into twrp again and flash the latest OTA zip, or, fastboot the factory image with the -w removed from the flash-all.bat file. Neither will wipe your data. Always a good idea as well to backup all your data before you begin, and to remove screen lock security and substratum themes so as not to have any unwanted problems :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks! I figured that was all it took but I wanted to double check so my Sunday isn't spent unbricking. All went smooth. Thanks!

Help Updating to December Security Patch

I'm running the stock rom on the November patch. I have TWRP installed with Magisk and the Kirisakura kernel. I've read and Googled for a solution and still can't get it to work. I have the latest ADB told installed but I am unable to push the update through. Can someone tell me what I'm missing? This used to be so much simpler lol. Thanks in advance.

DarkPhoenix said:
I'm running the stock rom on the November patch. I have TWRP installed with Magisk and the Kirisakura kernel. I've read and Googled for a solution and still can't get it to work. I have the latest ADB told installed but I am unable to push the update through. Can someone tell me what I'm missing? This used to be so much simpler lol. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
From what I understand you can not do ADB in TWRP to install an update. What I did was download the factory images, remove -w from the flash all.bat. flashed the images and let the phone boot normally. Once I knew it was running I went to the bootloader and booted TWRP temporarily. Once that was up I flashed Magisk and then my kernel
I don't install TWRP anymore.

DarkPhoenix said:
I'm running the stock rom on the November patch. I have TWRP installed with Magisk and the Kirisakura kernel. I've read and Googled for a solution and still can't get it to work. I have the latest ADB told installed but I am unable to push the update through. Can someone tell me what I'm missing? This used to be so much simpler lol. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Adding to what hatdrc said, you want the full image, not OTA, and install from your PC in fastboot mode. If you are concerned about saving your data, remove the -w switch from flash-all.bat first using a file editor like notepad. Have the twrp.zip, kernel.zip and magisk.zip files already staged. I personally don't boot to system first (but you can), I "catch" the reboot after flashing completes with the volume down button to reboot to fastboot mode. Then fastboot boot twrp.img, and then install twrp, kernel and magisk zips all in one go using the "add more zips" button in twrp. Every month when you update, you'll lose twrp, kernel and magisk, so those have to be reflashed each time. You'll soon get used to it and can do the whole thing in about 5 minutes consistently. Just make sure to pre-stage the 3 zip files on the phone before you start. Best of luck.

I tried that but couldn't get it to work. I downloaded the ADB tools again just in case there was an issue with that. I'm going to run the flash-all script again to see if I can get it to work.

DarkPhoenix said:
I tried that but couldn't get it to work. I downloaded the ADB tools again just in case there was an issue with that. I'm going to run the flash-all script again to see if I can get it to work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if whats suggested above doesnt work, you can make the OTA work....download the ota to your PC, boot to Android Recovery (not TWRP), apply the ota via ADB from the menu. Whenever I have "odd" issues applying the Full image, this always works for me. Obviously you need to re-root after.
GL!

cmh714 said:
if whats suggested above doesnt work, you can make the OTA work....download the ota to your PC, boot to Android Recovery (not TWRP), apply the ota via ADB from the menu. Whenever I have "odd" issues applying the Full image, this always works for me. Obviously you need to re-root after.
GL!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't installing TWRP remove Android Recovery?

DarkPhoenix said:
Doesn't installing TWRP remove Android Recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm, since I dont install TWRP anymore, you may be correct....still cant hurt to try

DarkPhoenix said:
Doesn't installing TWRP remove Android Recovery?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does. TWRP replaces the stock recovery.
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

v12xke said:
Adding to what hatdrc said, you want the full image, not OTA, and install from your PC in fastboot mode. If you are concerned about saving your data, remove the -w switch from flash-all.bat first using a file editor like notepad. Have the twrp.zip, kernel.zip and magisk.zip files already staged. I personally don't boot to system first (but you can), I "catch" the reboot after flashing completes with the volume down button to reboot to fastboot mode. Then fastboot boot twrp.img, and then install twrp, kernel and magisk zips all in one go using the "add more zips" button in twrp. Every month when you update, you'll lose twrp, kernel and magisk, so those have to be reflashed each time. You'll soon get used to it and can do the whole thing in about 5 minutes consistently. Just make sure to pre-stage the 3 zip files on the phone before you start. Best of luck.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, I got the flash-all script to run. My brain shut down and I was running the wrong command.

DarkPhoenix said:
Ok, I got the flash-all script to run. My brain shut down and I was running the wrong command.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well done. Now you can do it all over again in a week on Monday the 7th when the January build comes out.

v12xke said:
Well done. Now you can do it all over again in a week on Monday the 7th when the January build comes out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was updating so I could install Bootleggers rom so updating should be a lot easier lol.

Updating Pixel 3 XL and keeping root without wiping data

Hi, I have a Pixel 3 XL it has the February update and it's rooted and has TWRP installed. My question is can I update it via a flashable zip file so I can flash through TWRP? I don't want to lose any of my data because it's a pain setting everything back up. Back in the day I had Cynogen and usually kept up with the nightly updates as often as I could and it was a very simple process. I"m sure it's been asked but after doing some quick google searches all I found was to download the factory image and flash it with a custom flag but I really don't want to have to re-root it and all that again.

Well when you update just edit the flash-all.bat file and delete the -w within that and you won't delete your data. You will loose root and loose the installed twrp but you can easily reinstall and obtain root after the update is completed. Check the guides section of the boards as it has an excellent guide for rooting and updating with Google released updates.

GrandMstrBud said:
Hi, I have a Pixel 3 XL it has the February update and it's rooted and has TWRP installed. My question is can I update it via a flashable zip file so I can flash through TWRP? I don't want to lose any of my data because it's a pain setting everything back up. Back in the day I had Cynogen and usually kept up with the nightly updates as often as I could and it was a very simple process. I"m sure it's been asked but after doing some quick google searches all I found was to download the factory image and flash it with a custom flag but I really don't want to have to re-root it and all that again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flashing the Google image every month and editing the flash-all script is just what you have to do for A/B phones. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes once a month, and after some practice, probably 5 minutes. Pre-stage the latest TWRP and Magisk on your phone if it is not already there. Once you finish flashing the image, fastboot boot TWRP from your PC and then from your phone use TWRP to queue up both the TWRP and Magisk zipfiles and let her rip. If you use a custom kernel as well, you can do a 3-fer and queue up all three files in TWRP and it will flash all 3 in succession. Just make sure you are using the lastest version of the fastboot/adb binaries before you start. That is all.

Thanks guys, I had to refresh my memory on the process but all together maybe 20 minutes. Next time I'm guessing the process will take 10 minutes since I made some instructions for myself.

I only use temporary TWRP, so when it's time to update I just flash the OTA using stock recovery. No wipe or editing involved.

spotmark said:
I only use temporary TWRP, so when it's time to update I just flash the OTA using stock recovery. No wipe or editing involved.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.
You install Magisk, and at what step do you do that?
Thanks in advance.

Below works, but not always. Be near a computer when you do it and be prepared to use the flash-all without the -w.
1.Magisk Manager → Uninstall → Restore Images). Do not reboot or you will have Magisk uninstalled.
2. Now Update the system and let it install completely. Do not press the reboot button.
3. Go to (Magisk Manager → Install → Install to Inactive Slot) and install Magisk.
4.Once Magisk installation is done, press the reboot button in Magisk Manager.
Your phone may get into bootloop once, if that happens just restart the phone again.

statustray said:
Interesting.
You install Magisk, and at what step do you do that?
Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
After I flash the update, I boot the phone, and then into temporary TWRP and flash Magisk.

Preparing system update, then nothing

Phone is rooted with magisk, running Feb '20 build.
Last month (early Feb) for a split second, I saw the message 'preparing system update' when going to settings - system - system update. Then it went to 'system up to date' (back then it was obviously running Jan '20 update). So I had to download the factory image, patch the boot image and flash it in fastboot to be updated and rooted.
Saw the March update was available, went to system update again, no and behold. Same story. Split second 'preparing system update' and then nothing.
Oddly enough device updated to the januari update through magisk ota procedure just fine.
Has anyone else encountered this? How did you fix it?
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I encountered this last month. Did the Magisk OTA update like you for January and wanted to do the Feb OTA update but it never became available on my phone. Just checked System Update and it says system is up to date. Haven't seen the "preparing system update" for March - yet.

Same here. Magisk OTA method in January then the preparing message then up to date last month and this month.
Seems Google is on to us.
When I get home I am going to unroot via Magisk, not reboot and check again.

TonikJDK said:
Same here. Magisk OTA method in January then the preparing message then up to date last month and this month.
Seems Google is on to us.
When I get home I am going to unroot via Magisk, not reboot and check again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exact same thing on my wife's phone; it just says system is up to date with January update. There has to be something going on because there are a number of users who have experienced this issue.

jlokos said:
Exact same thing on my wife's phone; it just says system is up to date with January update. There has to be something going on because there are a number of users who have experienced this issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use This guide: Do #4 'keep data' then #9 to root.
It only takes 5 minutes.
Note: Before you start disable all your Magisk modules.

So long story short: download factory image and remove -w (wipe flag), flash everything, patch boot image with magisk, and flash image via fastboot. Now what I don't see (or I overlook it), do you flash the patched image via
Flash boot patched_boot.img or to both boot_a and boot_b?
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

Ch3vr0n said:
So long story short: download factory image and remove -w (wipe flag), flash everything, patch boot image with magisk, and flash image via fastboot. Now what I don't see (or I overlook it), do you flash the patched image via
Flash boot patched_boot.img or to both boot_a and boot_b?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#9. A. 11.
fastboot flash boot --slot all magisk_patched.img

Homeboy76 said:
#9. A. 11.
fastboot flash boot --slot all magisk_patched.img
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you advising to just use the factory image to update or are you saying the OTA updates will work after reflashng factory image?

willyumlu said:
Are you advising to just use the factory image to update or are you saying the OTA updates will work after reflashng factory image?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@willyumlu
Flash the Factory Image, the OTA update is what you are having problems getting installed.
Also, if you are rooted take a look at #9. B. OTA Installation

Homeboy76 said:
@willyumlu
Flash the Factory Image, the OTA update is what you are having problems getting installed.
Also, if you are rooted take a look at #9. B. OTA Installation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it's not showing any OTA updates since ~January. I think there's some corrupt folder/file permissions after one of the OTAs or something - I can't use a log viewer app to check the logs. Tried to just flash stock Feb thru fastboot like you suggested and afterwards, even with the stock boot, I couldn't find any updates. I'll try to do a factory reset when I have time to see if that solves the issue
EDIT: Got it working after I used https://pixelrepair.withgoogle.com/ to reflash. When I tried factory resetting by follow @Homeboy76 's guide (w/o using the laptop), it still wouldn't find an OTA. The site got me back onto Feb stock and I rerooted and applied the OTA afterwards

willyumlu said:
Yeah it's not showing any OTA updates since ~January. I think there's some corrupt folder/file permissions after one of the OTAs or something - I can't use a log viewer app to check the logs. Tried to just flash stock Feb thru fastboot like you suggested and afterwards, even with the stock boot, I couldn't find any updates. I'll try to do a factory reset when I have time to see if that solves the issue
EDIT: Got it working after I used https://pixelrepair.withgoogle.com/ to reflash. When I tried factory resetting by follow @Homeboy76 's guide (w/o using the laptop), it still wouldn't find an OTA. The site got me back onto Feb stock and I rerooted and applied the OTA afterwards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you got the OTA
I'm curious what # was, "factory resetting by follow @Homeboy76 's guide (w/o using the laptop), it still wouldn't find an OTA."

factory image method didn't work (flashing feb build and patching boot image). pixel repair isn't available in belgium. Still no OTA

Homeboy76 said:
Glad you got the OTA
I'm curious what # was, "factory resetting by follow @Homeboy76 's guide (w/o using the laptop), it still wouldn't find an OTA."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
#3b
Ch3vr0n said:
factory image method didn't work (flashing feb build and patching boot image). pixel repair isn't available in belgium. Still no OTA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe a factory image with -w would work? I'm not sure what exactly the pixelrepair site does but it seemed like it was doing a sideload after wiping data since it asks you to go into recovery mode

Don't care what the pixelrepair does, as I said. I can't use it. Probably Geo restriction.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

willyumlu said:
#3b
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was pointing out the benefits of flashing the factory image #4 'keep data' an re- rooting #9. So, I was surprised to see factory reset in your response. :good:

Ch3vr0n said:
Don't care what the pixelrepair does, as I said. I can't use it. Probably Geo restriction.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I'm suggesting flashing the factory image without removing "-w" to do what the site did since you can't access it

Yeah I ain't doing that in the middle of a week after work. I can't go without phone during the week if something goes wrong, or spend hours after restoring the auto-backup and setting up mail etc all over again. Maybe over the weekend.
Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

I had to Flash the factory Image too. No Ota arrived since the Dec 2019 update.
I remived the -w Option and everything is fine. No data loss.
Patching the boot.img with magisk didn't work. Magisk 7.5.1 always crashed. I tried Magisk 7.5.0 and everything worked.