How to install Android 13 on Google Pixel and other Android devices

Android 13 is currently available as a Developer Preview release. The flashaholics will be delighted to know that Google has already made the system images available for download. You can give it a shot right now if you’ve got the right hardware, but there aren’t as many supported devices this time around. All you’ve got to choose from are the Google Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, and the Pixel 6 Pro.

The developer preview of Android 13 is, of course, rough around the edges, so Google doesn’t want to make it too easy to install it on your daily driver. You’ll need an eligible Pixel smartphone with an unlocked bootloader to flash the system image using your computer. There are also OTA files, which update your Pixel to the Developer Preview without an unlocked bootloader. However, you still need to manually sideload the OTA package for the initial build.

Warning: The preview releases are intended for developers only, so don’t install them on your daily driver. You might encounter showstopper bugs or other system instabilities. It is highly recommended that you back up your data before proceeding. Users are advised to exercise caution.

The two methods to install the update are:

Method 1: Sideload Android 13 via Recovery and ADB

To install the Developer Preview, you need to sideload the appropriate OTA package for your device from Recovery through ADB. This method will also work for Google Pixel devices with a locked bootloader.

Method 2: Flashing full Factory Image via Fastboot

If you have an unlocked bootloader on a Google Pixel device, you need to flash the factory image of the Android 13 Developer Preview via Fastboot. Usually, this is done through a flash-all.sh or flash-all.bat script file that is included in the downloaded file, but its default configuration also wipes the device completely. You can, however, retain your data by deleting the “-w” wipe attribute from the command within the script.

XDA » Tutorials » How to install Android 13 on Google Pixel and other Android devices

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DIY enthusiast (i.e. salvager of old PC parts). An avid user of Android since the Eclair days, Skanda also likes to follow the recent development trends in the world of single-board computing.