How to Install Android 11 Today Despite Google’s “rollout”
Android 11 is already here, meaning stable, and only if you are using one of the Google Pixel phones (Pixel 2, 3, 3A, 4 or 4A) for the stable version. The Android 11 beta is also available from today for the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro, as well as the Oppo X2 and Reno 3.
Since this is a rollout (sigh) , maybe you can just update your Pixel to Android 11 with what we call the “lightweight” method. Make sure you’re connected to Wi-Fi, launch the Settings app, tap System , tap Advanced, and tap System Update. If you’re lucky, you’ll see a brand new update that will bring your device to Android 11 (although you might have to click on the “Check for Updates” option first).
If so, make sure you back up everything on your phone that you don’t want to lose in the event of an erroneous update, and then let’s back it up. If not, you’ll have to get a little more creative to get Android 11 installed on your phone, otherwise known as “hard” mode.
Ok, it’s not that hard , and if you’re impatient you get Android 11, it’ll just be something new that you probably haven’t tried before.
How to Boot Android 11 to Any Pixel
Start by connecting Android to your computer – Windows or Mac (I’m using Windows for the walkthrough) – and reopen the Settings app. Scroll down and tap About phone. Scroll down the next screen and start tapping Build Number until you unlock your phone’s developer mode. Trust me, you will understand when you do this.
Go back to the main settings screen, then press the “System”, then “Advanced” and “Developer options.” In this giant menu, you’ll want to enable two options: OEM unlocking and USB debugging . Once you’ve done that, you can go back to the Android home screen.
Then download the Android SDK Platform-Tools and unzip them somewhere on your computer. Then you’ll want to download the correct OTA image for your pixel – first find your device, then scroll all the way down and grab the “11.0.0” image. Save or copy it to the same folder where you unzipped the SDK. Platform-Tools.
Here’s the good news: the tax part of this process is pretty much done. Now you need to launch Command Prompt (or Terminal) and navigate to the directory where you unpacked the Platform-Tools SDK.
Assuming your phone is still connected to your computer, type adb reboot recovery and press Enter. If on reboot you see a logo that looks like broken Android and not a menu, hold down the power button of your device, press the volume up button, and release the power button. Then you will want to use the volume and down buttons of your device to highlight “Apply update from ADB” and select it using the power button.
Finally, enter adb sideload [name of the OTA image you downloaded] into the command line and let the update go through. Once that is done, highlight “Reboot System Now” and use the power button to select it.
Your device should reboot to Android 11, which you can always check by going to Settings> About Phone and searching for Android Version. You can also visit Settings> System> Advanced> System Update and check three times to see if there are any new updates for your phone.
Once you’re satisfied, go to Developer Options (Settings> System> Developer Options) again and disable USB debugging . Take a deep breath and immerse yourself in Android 11 :
Or, hey, you can always go and check out the statue .