Google has recently started the Android 14 journey with its first developer preview (DP1) release for the eligible Pixel series devices officially. Eligible Pixel device users can test it to experience new features, additional improvements, and more. But if you’re a non-Pixel Android smartphone or tablet device user, then you can also become eligible to download Android 14 GSI and Install it on any of your smartphones quite easily.
Suppose you’ve any Pixel models such as Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro, Pixel 6a, Pixel 7, or Pixel 7 Pro with the Android 13 stock stable build running. In that case, you’ll be able to install the Android 14 Developer Preview Beta build accordingly. But what about the other non-Pixel Android device users? Well, non-Pixel Android device users can also run the official latest Android 14 firmware by flashing the Generic System Images (GSI) manually.
But your non-Pixel Android smartphone or tablet device must be running on the Android 8.0 Oreo operating system at least to be eligible for Project Treble support by Google itself. That means if your Android device runs on Android Oreo or above system, it must be compatible with Project Treble. So, in that sense, you’ll be able to manually flash the GSI file on your handset by following the proper steps to install the latest Android OS whatsoever.
Page Contents
What is GSI in Android?
Talking about the GSI or ‘Generic System Image’ package, it’s a system image file that has been developed by Google for Android devices. It comes with a couple of adjusted configurations and is fully compatible with the Project Treble platform so that Android Oreo or higher operating system version users can easily flash the GSI file to get the latest version of Android OS. That means even if your device won’t receive the latest Android OS updates from your manufacturer, you don’t have to worry.
The best part is that if you’re not geek enough to know whether your device supports Project Treble or not, you can easily install an application on your handset and then check for compatibility. Just install Treble Info from the Google Play Store on your device and check the Treble support.
Please Note: Do keep in mind that your device should have an unlocked bootloader before flashing the Android GSI package and the process requires a full factory reset of your handset to remove all data. So, make sure to take a full data backup before doing anything else to avoid losing your important data if something goes wrong with the GSI flashing or bootloader unlocking.
What is the Benefit of Installing GSI?
Installing GSI on your device has a major benefit: having the latest Android OS version, just like the Pixel devices. Eligible Google Pixel device users can easily install the newly launched Android OS update without waiting months or years. So, even if your device is old enough or isn’t compatible with the latest Android OS release, you can still install the same using GSI within a few weeks of the official release.
That means you can get the latest version of Android on your non-Pixel device more than anyone else. because even if any other non-Pixel Android device model is eligible to receive the latest Android OS update (for example, Android 14), the manufacturer might take a quite long time to roll out the update officially via OTA channels. After unlocking the bootloader, you can quickly flash a custom firmware or enable root access on your device.
Also Read
Android 14: Overview and Features
As the name suggests, Android 14 is the latest iteration of the Android OS lineup after the Android 13 released last year by Google. Currently, Android 14 (aka Codename: Upside Down Cake) runs on the first developer preview build and is available for only a few Pixel models. That indicates it’s not suitable for the public yet. But Google releases quite stable updates of Android, which can be used as a daily driver on your primary device (but not its full potential).
Now, talking about the highlighted features which have been introduced and some that will be introduced soon, Android 14 includes improvements over big screens & cross-device used cases, enhanced battery life, better accessibility features like bigger fonts or hearing aids, etc. It also brings improved per-app language preferences, restrictions over sideloading external apps, slightly improved visual elements & gesture animation, and more.
Additionally, Android 14 offers faster Bluetooth pairing & guest mode, smarter dual-SIM & eSIM setups, default app cloning, improved fitness tracking, support of DualSense edge, and more.
How to Install Android 14 GSI on Any Smartphone
Now, if you’re one of the interested Android fans to grab the latest Android 14 GSI and experience new features on your Project-Treble supported handset, then follow this in-depth guide to correctly install it. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.
Download Android 14 GSI
Google hasn’t officially released the GSI package of Android 14 yet. So, you’ll have to wait for it. Once available, we’ll update this article with all download links.
Check the CPU Architecture
Advertisement
Grab the specific GSI package according to your device’s architecture. To check your device’s architecture, you can run the following command on your PC via the ADB & Fastboot method Windows computer after connecting your handset to it using the USB cable.
adb shell getprop ro.product.cpu.abi
Once you’re aware of your device’s architecture, download the particular GSI package from the link above. Now, you’ll have to follow all the requirements one by one.
Pre-Requirements:
- This GSI file and guide are only applicable to Project Treble-supported devices.
- Make sure to check whether your device supports Project Treble or not.
- Maintain at least 50% of battery charge.
- Take a full data backup of the device without Root before doing anything.
- Your device bootloader should be unlocked. [Required]
- Enable OEM Unlocking and USB Debugging on your device.
- Download and Install the Android USB Drivers on your PC/Laptop.
- A PC/Laptop and a USB cable are required. (for Fastboot method)
- Install the ADB & Fastboot Platform Tool for Windows/MAC. (for Fastboot method)
Installation Steps
- First, you’ll need to perform a factory reset on your phone. [You can also reboot to Recovery mode and perform a factory reset]
- Keep in mind that OEM Unlock and USB Debugging are already enabled on your phone. If not, do that too.
- We assume that you’ve already installed the ADB & Fastboot Tool on your PC. If not, visit the download section, and install it.
- Now, transfer the downloaded Android 14 GSI file to your computer and extract it. Copy and paste the system.img and vbmeta.img files into the ADB & Fastboot folder for ease.
- Connect your Android device to the PC/Laptop by using the USB cable and authorize the device (if prompted).
- Now, launch a command prompt on your PC from the extracted GSI folder by typing cmd in the address bar and pressing the Enter button on your keyboard.
- Restart your device into bootloader mode or fastboot mode by typing the following command in the command prompt and pressing the Enter key:
adb reboot bootloader
- This will reboot your phone into Fastboot mode.
- You can run the following command to verify the Fastboot connection. If already connected, you’ll get back the fastboot device ID.
fastboot devices
- Next, you’ll have to disable Android Verified Boot (AVB) by running the command below:
fastboot flash vbmeta vbmeta.img
- Next, type in the following command and hit the Enter button to delete the existing system partition on your device:
fastboot erase system
- Use the following command to install the Android 14 GSI package:
fastboot flash system system.img
- The installation process will start and will take some time. So, please wait for it.
- Once the installation process is done, you will need to enter the following command to wipe the user data partition:
fastboot -w
- Finally, restart your device by executing the command below:
fastboot reboot
- Enjoy! The first boot may take some time after the OS upgrade. Now, your device should boot into vanilla Android 14 OS successfully.
Disclaimer: Though we won’t recommend you flash the initial build of Android 14 on your primary device, you can try it out on a secondary device. Currently, it may contain multiple bugs or stability or privacy issues. So, it depends on whether you’ll wait for the stable release.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. Feel free to ask in the comment below for further queries.