Google officially released the first developer preview of Android 14 in February 2023. But we haven't seen a stable version yet. Instead, we have access to Android 20 QPR2023 Beta as of September 14, 1. This is the base operating system for the upcoming December 2023 Pixel Feature Drop. so if you want the latest available version of Android 14, you are in the right place. If you want to try it, you may be wondering "How to install Android 14" for your phone. This guide can give you all the information you need!
WARNING: Android 14 QPR1 Beta in its current form is pre-release software that may contain bugs and other issues. Some features you rely on may not work correctly or at all. We recommend that you use this software with caution. Proceed at your own risk.
Should I install Android 14?
Android 14 is currently in pre-release phase. Beta launches are designed specifically for developers and early adopters. Google is doing these launches to give developers plenty of time to test the new Android, learn about new features and restrictions, and prepare their apps for future launch. While the general public can access the software, they should only do so if they know what they are getting into.
All of this being said, there are no restrictions if you want to use this on your phone. You may experience strange issues like no errors, broken/missing features, or even spontaneous shutdowns. If you're okay with all of these, you shouldn't hesitate to install it as your daily driver. We recommend that you do not do this and install Android 14 on a secondary device instead. The choice is yours.
Which devices can install Android 2023 in 14?
Currently, only the latest Google Pixel devices can run Android 14. Below is the list of supported phones for the latest beta:
- Google Pixel Fold
- Google Pixel Tablets
- Google Pixel 7a
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Google Pixel 7
- Google Pixel 6a
- Google Pixel 6 Pro
- Google Pixel 6
- Google Pixel 5a
Unfortunately, if you have a Pixel phone that was released before the Google Pixel 5a, you won't be able to install the latest QPR14 beta of Android 1. However, if you have a Pixel 4a 5G or Pixel 5 (sorry Pixel 4a owners), you'll be getting it when Android 14 stable finally arrives.
How to install Android 14 QPR1 Beta?
There are three ways to install Android 14: manual, assisted, and opt-in. Manual installation is for advanced users only, while the assisted method is easy enough that almost anyone can do it. If you go with manual or assisted methods, you will need to unlock the phone's bootloader to install Android 14, which will completely wipe the phone. There's no way around this. Keep this in mind if you are considering installing Android 14 on your main device!
However, the opt-in method does not require you to factory reset your phone. This will seamlessly jump you from stable Android 13 to Android 14. However, going back to Android 13 requires a factory reset. Keep this in mind before you jump! If you're ready to get involved, follow Google's Android 14 beta instructions.
With all three methods, once you install Android 14 in beta, you won't need to factory reset to get future updates. Once in, you will automatically receive future updates as over-the-air (OTA) updates. In other words, you only need to factory reset once to get into Android 14.
Prepare to install Android 14
Beta program Unless you're joining, you'll need the following materials and prerequisites to get started:
- Internet and latest to Chrome browser A Windows, macOS, Chrome OS or Linux computer with access.
- A short, thick USB cable to connect your phone to the computer. The original USB cable that came with the phone is best for this.
Before moving on to the next step, double check that you have everything you need. You don't want to get into the process of installing Android 14 and discover that you're not fully prepared! When you're ready, continue using the assisted or manual installation methods below.
Install Android 14 with supported method
LAST WARNING: This will unlock your bootloader and completely erase all data on your phone.
- Make sure you have the necessary drivers for your phone on your computer, you can get them from Google's Pixel drivers page. This is a mandatory step – if you skip this, the flashing will not work!
- Plug your phone into your computer using a USB cable.
- In your phone's Settings, go to System > Developer options. If you don't see Developer options, go to Settings > About phone and scroll all the way down to Build number. Tap the Build number seven times until your phone says you are a developer. Developer options should now be available.
- Enable OEM unlocking and USB debugging in developer options.
- To install Android 14, visit the Android Flash Tool page.
- Select the Android 14 version you want to install. For some models, there is only a 64-bit version and a version that also supports 32-bit software. Both work. If you don't know which one to choose, just choose the version that says "(signed)" and supports both 64-bit and 32-bit software.
- Just follow the steps while the flashing tool takes care of everything for you. Just make sure you do not touch your phone unless specifically instructed by the flashing tool.
That's it! You should now have Android 14 installed on your Pixel smartphone.
Install Android 14 manually
If the simpler helpful method mentioned above does not work for you, you can try manual methods. Basically, there are two manual methods:
- Sideloading OTA packages via ADB and Recovery: This method is useful for Pixel devices with locked bootloader and users who want to preserve data when moving from Android 14 to Android 14. This method is not recommended if you are switching from Android 13 to Android 14.
- Installing Factory Images via Fastboot: This requires an unlocked bootloader, but is the recommended way to upgrade from Android 13 to Android 14. Unlocking the bootloader will erase all your device's data. Fastboot installation will erase your device's data again, but you can change this behavior.
Whichever method you choose, there are some common steps you need to take:
- Install ADB on your computer by following our guide for the same steps. This process also installs Fastboot on your computer, since Fastboot is part of the Android SDK Platform Tools along with ADB.
- Make sure USB Debugging is enabled on your smartphone:
- On your smartphone, go to Settings > About Phone.
- Locate the Build Number entry. Tap on it seven times. You will see a warning pop-up that says “You are now a developer” or “No need, you are already a developer.” This means Developer Options has been unlocked on your device and you'll see a new entry in your Settings menu.
- Now go to Settings > Developer Options > Enable USB Debugging. Confirm your selection when prompted in the alert.
- Make sure you have the necessary drivers for your phone on your computer, you can get them from Google's Pixel drivers page.
- Connect your phone to the computer. Assuming this is the first time you connect your phone to the computer, you will see an alert on the phone asking for authorization for the connection. Approve.
However, you will have your common steps in place. You can now proceed with the rest of the tutorial depending on the installation path you chose.
Sideloading OTA packages via ADB
Official for your phone Download the OTA update zip file to your computer. Make sure you only download the file for your specific phone, because installing a file designed for a different phone model may disrupt the installation process and render your device unusable.
Optional but recommended: Once the file is downloaded, rename the file to a simpler name, for example abc.zip. This saves you having to type the long name under which the file was originally downloaded.
Optional but recommended: Verify the SHA-256 hash of the file you downloaded. This ensures that the file has been downloaded completely and correctly. Google mentions the SHA-256 hash next to the download link.
- Place the file in the directory where ADB is located on your computer.
- Connect your phone to your computer.
- Open a command prompt on your computer and run the adb reboot recovery command. This will reboot your phone into recovery mode.
- If your phone does not reboot into recovery mode, you can also manually reboot into recovery mode by turning off your device and then pressing and holding the power button and volume up button.
- In the recovery menu, navigate to the Apply Update from ADB option using the Volume keys. Press the power button to select it.
- Run adb devices in the command prompt on your computer. This will return a device serial number with “sideload” next to it. This indicates that your phone is connected in sideload mode and is ready to receive more upload commands.
- Run adb sideload abc.zip in the command prompt on your computer. You will need to replace “abc.zip” with the file name of your choice.
- ADB will install the update zip file on your phone.
Once the installation is complete, select the Reboot system now option on your phone and your device will reboot to the newly installed Android 14 version.
Installing Factory Images via Fastboot
LAST WARNING: Your phone will be completely wiped as part of this process. Please ensure you have sufficient backup before continuing.
- Official for your phone Download Factory Images to your computer. Make sure you only download the file for your specific phone, because installing a file designed for a different phone model may disrupt the installation process and render your device unusable.
- Optional but recommended: Verify the SHA-256 hash of the file you downloaded. This ensures that the file has been downloaded completely and correctly. Google mentions the SHA-256 hash next to the download link.
- Unzip the file to a suitable location. For ease of installation, you can copy the content to the directory where ADB and Fastboot are located on your computer.
- Connect your phone to your computer.
- Open a command prompt on your computer and run the adb reboot bootloader command. This will reboot your phone into Fastboot mode.
- Unlock your phone's bootloader: To do this, you do this by running the fastboot flashing unlock Fastboot command. Note that this will delete all data on the device.
- If your device reboots into the operating system after data deletion, you will need to skip the setup steps and enable USB Debugging again. After doing this, go back to Fastboot mode.
- On Windows PC, double-click the flash-all.bat file. This will run the batch install file and execute all necessary commands on its own. You will need to run flash-all on a Mac/Linux PC.
- If you want to preserve your system and application data between installations, you will need to open the flash-all script in a text editor program and delete the “-w” attribute from the command. This attribute indicates deletion, so remove it if you don't want to delete it.
- Once the script is completed, your device will reboot to the new operating system.
- Optional but recommended: Restart your phone by locking its bootloader. Switch to fastboot mode and run the fastboot flashing lock command.
That's it! Now you know how to install Android 14 on your Pixel smartphone.
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