How to Flash Firmware on Pixel 7 and 7 Pro via ADB Sideload

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are the latest additions to the Google Pixel family. The Google Pixel phones receive timely software updates. But, it does not reach all the regions at the same time. Google may take a few days to complete the OTA update rollout in a single region, as it is usually rolled out in batches. You may ask, why do we need to flash the firmware on my Google Pixel? Read out the next paragraph to find the answer.

Your Google Pixel phone may get infected by bugs at any point. If it’s causing major problems to the device, Google will release an update to fix the major bugs. Even if the company has rolled out the update, reaching your handset may take a few days. So, you’ll continue to face the problem until you do not update your Google Pixel. In such a case, you can manually grab the update package and install it on your phone via the ADB Sideload method.

Do you need to have an unlocked bootloader or rooted Google Pixel to flash the firmware via the ADB Sideload method? The answer is NO. You can perform the steps even on the phone with a locked bootloader. Before I go to the working steps, it’s important to keep in mind that the ADB Sideload method does not support downgrading. Now that you have a decent idea about flashing the firmware on your Google Pixel 7 or Pro, let’s dive into the steps.

How to Flash Firmware on Pixel 7 and 7 Pro via ADB Sideload

In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps you need to perform to flash the firmware on your Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro via the ADB Sideload method. Do not skip any steps and make sure to follow the steps in the same order.

Step 1: Take a Complete Backup

Back up all the important data on your Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro and save it to your PC or cloud storage. If anything wrong happens with your device, at least you’ll have your data. Don’t know what to back up or how to back up your Android phone? Read our detailed guide on how to take a full backup of any Android device.

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging on Your Phone

You need to enable USB Debugging on your Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro so that it can be recognized by the PC in the ADB mode. This option can be found under the Developer options menu, which is hidden by default. Here’s how to enable Developer options and USB Debugging:

1. Open the Settings app on your phone.
2. Click About phone.
3.  Tap 7 times on the build number. It will unhide the Developer options menu.
4. Go back to the Settings page.
5. Tap on System and click Developer options.
6. Turn on USB debugging.

Step 3: Install Android SDK on Your PC

You’ll need to install the Android SDK Platform Tools on your computer to make an ADB connection between the two devices. It’s critical to have Android SDK Platform Tools to run ADB and Fastboot commands. Go ahead and download the Android SDK Platform Tools on your PC. Once downloaded, extract it to a convenient location on your PC. As a result, you’ll have the platform-tools folder on your PC. Remember its location and move on to the next step.

Step 4: Download the OTA Image for Your Phone

Next up, we have to download the OTA image for your Google Pixel and move it to the platform-tools folder.

1. Download the OTA image for your Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro

[Important: Do not download the factory image.]

2. Rename the file to package. The file name should become package.zip. Although renaming is not necessary, we are doing this to easily run ADB commands on the command prompt.

3. Move the package.zip file to the platform-tools folder on your computer.

Step 5: Boot Your Google Pixel to Stock Recovery

1. Connect your phone to the PC via a USB cable. If a dialogue box opens on your phone to verify the ADB connection, verify it.

2. Go to the platform-tools folder on your PC, type CMD in the address bar, and hit the Enter button to launch the Command Prompt.

3. Run the following command to boot your phone to the stock recovery.

adb reboot recovery

On successful execution, you’ll get a No command screen on your phone.

4.  Press and hold the power button. While holding the power button, press and release the volume up key and then release the power key. Your phone should boot to the stock recovery.

Step 6: Install the Firmware on Your Phone via ADB Sideload

1. Use the volume button to navigate to the Apply Update from ADB option and press the power button to select it.

2. Now, your device is ready for the ADB Sideload connection.

3. Go to the platform-tools folder on your PC, type CMD in the address bar, and hit Enter to open the command window.

4. On the command window, run the following command to confirm the ADB connection:

adb devices

If the command returns a random string of numbers and letters, the ADB is connection is successful. The random string is nothing but your device ID.

5. Run the following command to install the firmware file:

adb sideload update.zip

6. The installation should begin. The process may take a few minutes to complete.

7. Using the volume keys navigate to the Reboot System Now option and press the power button to select it.

Your Google Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro is now running the installed firmware. I hope this guide was helpful to you. Did you face any issues or errors while following the steps? Type in your query in the comments below and I’ll try to respond as soon as possible.