If you have a Google Pixel 3a or Pixel 3a XL and you want you flash a stock factory image, then follow the guide below to download the proper files and follow the detailed procedure to learn how to do so.
The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are Google’s budget devices. The Pixel 3a has a 5.6″ OLED display with a resolution of 1080 by 2220 pixels, Snapdragon 670 chipset with Adreno 615 GPU, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, 12.2 MP rear and 8 MP selfie camera, a headphone jack and a 3000 mAh battery. The 3a XL has the same specs but a slightly bigger 6″ display and a 3700 mAh battery. The starting price is $399 for the Pixel 3a and $479 for the 3a XL.
It is important to know how to flash a stock factory image on your phone. Pixel devices are among the most supported when it comes to custom development. There are many custom ROMs, kernels and mods created by users all around the world for these phones. As a result, flashing a factory image on your Pixel 3a or 3a XL is a great idea if you want to unroot your phone or go back to stock from a custom ROM.
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How To Flash Factory Images on Google Pixel 3a and 3a XL
Warning: The process below requires you to unlock the bootloader of your Pixel 3a device. If your bootloader is locked, you will lose all data after unlocking it. As a result, please make a full system backup of all the data on your phone before proceeding with the tutorial below.
Getting prepared
- Charge your phone to at least 60%. This ensures that the phone will not abruptly turn off during the flashing process.
- As mentioned above, unlocking the bootloader will wipe all data on your phone. Please make a backup.
- This process requires to use ADB commands. Download the latest ADB & USB drivers on your computer.
Download Factory Images for Google Pixel 3a & 3a XL
These are the current factory images. They are based on Android 9.0 Pie, and soon Google will release the official Android 10 Q images for these two phones.
Google Pixel 3a “sargo”
| Version | Download |
|---|---|
| 9.0.0 (PD2A.190115.029, Mar 2019) | Link |
| 9.0.0 (PD2A.190115.032, Mar 2019) | Link |
Google Pixel 3a “bonito”
| Version | Download |
| 9.0.0 (PD2A.190115.029, Mar 2019) | Link |
| 9.0.0 (PD2A.190115.032, Mar 2019) | Link |
Steps to flash Android Factory Image on Pixel 3a and 3a XL
- Download the proper factory image from the download links above and extract it. Make sure it is the correct version for your device. Once you extract the firmware, you will see many different files such as radio image, vendor image, OS image, bootloader.
- Boot your phone into fastboot mode. There are two ways to do so:
- Press and hold the power button to turn the phone off. Once the phone is off, press and hold Volume Down + Power buttons at the same time.
- Make sure your phone is on and execute the following command using ADB:
adb reboot bootloader
- If the bootloader of your phone is locked, you have to unlock it. To do so, execute the following command using ADB (Warning: This will wipe all data on your phone):
fastboot flashing unlock - Guide your terminal/command window to the directory where the extracted factory image files are located.
- The extracted firmware also contains a script called the flash-all script. Execute it. This will flash all of the files (bootloader, OS image, vendor image, radio image).
Once you have executed the flash-all script on your terminal, the images will be flashed on the phone. This process will take a few moments, so please be patient. Once the files have been installed, the phone will automatically restart. Enjoy the back to stock experience on your Pixel 3a.
What’s the difference between the two builds for each device as they are all dated March 2019?
Not certain, but most likely small fixes. I used the newest one.