How to flash an Android phone

(Updated on Thu Jul 21, 2022)
— Albert De La Fuente Vigliotti
Table of Contents

Android flashing #

Requirements and assumptions #

Adapted from: https://wiki.lineageos.org/devices/d802/upgrade

  • The phone has already TWRP as bootloader
  • Latest TWRP is already installed
  • ROM in zip file (latest)
  • The memory is already wiped

Flash a new rom # 

  # Paths. EDIT THIS
  FILES_PATH=/mnt/afuse/nas/share/os/android/lg-g2

  # Reboot in recovery
  adb reboot recovery
  sleep 60

  # Flash files
  adb push $FILES_PATH/lineage-16.0-*.zip /sdcard/lineage16.zip
  adb push $FILES_PATH/addonsu-16.0-arm64-*.zip /sdcard/addonsu16.zip
  adb push contacts.vcf /sdcard/contacts.vcf

Manually flash both files #

  • DONT allow “automatically” install anything

Enable ADB on device #

  • Security & location / Encryption & credentials / encrypt phone
  • About phone / Build number: Hit 7 times the build number
  • System / Developer options /
    • Debugging / Android Debugging (ADB): enabled
    • root access: Apps and ADB
  • USB preferences: File Transfer
  • Plug the USB cable

Install the automatic updates “privileged extension” for F-Droid #

  • Reboot in TWRP and push the zip file and flash it
  • Remember to keep unselected all the checkboxes at the end (don’t install the APK!)
  adb push $HOME/dropsync/appdata/android/baseapps/org.fdroid.fdroid.privileged.ota_2110.zip /sdcard/

Rsync # 

# Source: https://ptspts.blogspot.com/2015/03/how-to-use-rsync-over-adb-on-android.html
wget -O rsync.bin http://github.com/pts/rsyncbin/raw/master/rsync.rsync4android
adb push rsync.bin /data/local/tmp/rsync
adb shell chmod 755 /data/local/tmp/rsync
adb shell cp /data/local/tmp/rsync /sdcard/rsync.bin
adb shell /data/local/tmp/rsync --version
adb shell /system/xbin/rsync --version

Base configs # 

  # Disable captive portal ("Connected, no internet")
  adb shell settings put global captive_portal_detection_enabled 0
  adb shell settings put global captive_portal_mode 0
  adb shell settings put global captive_portal_server example.com
  adb shell settings put global captive_portal_https_server "https://example.com"
  adb shell settings put global captive_portal_http_server "http://example.com"

  # Disable watchdog
  adb shell settings put global wifi_watchdog_on 0
  adb shell settings put global wifi_watchdog_background_check_enabled 0

  # Checks: Disable captive portal ("Connected, no internet")
  adb shell settings get global captive_portal_detection_enabled
  adb shell settings get global captive_portal_mode
  adb shell settings get global captive_portal_server
  adb shell settings get global captive_portal_https_server
  adb shell settings get global captive_portal_http_server

  # Checks: Disable watchdog
  adb shell settings get global wifi_watchdog_on
  adb shell settings get global wifi_watchdog_background_check_enabled

Base features #

Encryption

  • Enable it manually. Use at least 6 digits pin passwords
  • Set auto destruction on X failed attempts

Data sync with Nextcould (orgmode, bbdb)

Data sync with EteSync: Based on django sync for contacts, calendar and tasks (orgmode, bbdb?)

Org mode

Access phone over desktop

  • scrcpy

Phone tracking

Computer apps #

pacaur -S scrcpy

Backup with adb backup (deprecated in the future) #

See: https://www.reddit.com/r/LineageOS/comments/b7i1zx/twrp_vs_adb_backup_all_vs_oandbackup/ See: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=balti.migrate&hl=en_US

  # Variables:
  #PHONE=lg_g2
  PHONE=oneplus_2
  FILES_PATH=/mnt/afuse/nas/share/os/android/$PHONE/backups

  # Reboot in recovery mode with:
  # adb reboot recovery

  adb backup -f $FILES_PATH/`date +'%Y-%m-%d'`.$PHONE.backup.ab --twrp --compress data system boot

  adb reboot system

Backup manually selected apps copied via adb within TWRP #

Also USE

adb pull /data/data/com.excelliance.multiaccounts.b64

Restore manually selected apps copied via adb within TWRP # 

# FIRST:
# - Install the app manually
# - Open and kill the app
adb root
adb push com.whatsapp /data/data/

Backup using tetherback # 

  pipenv --three
  pipenv install https://github.com/dlenski/tetherback/archive/0.9.1.zip
  pipenv shell

  adb reboot recovery

  # Dont backup to usb flashdrive since throughput will be around 600kbps. Backup to local fs
  # tetherback -M -P -o /home/av/backup
  tetherback -t -M -D -R -C

Restore using tetherback #

./adb-sync ../tetherback/twrp-backup-2020-05-08–07-53-02 /sdcard

Restore using osmandx #

TODO Restore #

See:

  # Variables:
  #PHONE=lg_g2
  PHONE=oneplus_2
  FILES_PATH=/mnt/afuse/nas/share/os/android/$PHONE/backups

  # Reboot in recovery mode with:
  # adb reboot recovery

  adb restore --twrp

Migration #

See: https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/app-migrate-custom-rom-migration-tool-t3862763 See: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=balti.migrate&hl=en_US

In case of lockout of recovery boot mode # 

fastboot reboot
fastboot devices
fastboot oem unlock
fastboot flash recovery Downloads/twrp-3.2.1-0-oneplus2.img