After an automatic restart at night, my phonestuck in a bootloop

bastian_42

Divice: Pixel 6a
Issue:
I have GrapheneOS installed on a google pixel 6a. The device has been stuck in a boot loop for about 8 hours. I let the device discharge and then restarted it but this had no effect.

The display shows the following:
Your device is loading a diffrent opperating system
blackscreen
Google logo
blackscreen
repeat

I have tried with the adb logcat but before the device is recognized the boot process is interrupted.

Are there any further steps I can do? Or is there a fix?

raccoondad

bastian_42 can you enter recovery mode and sideload an update?

bastian_42

raccoondad I have just checked that the installed version is 2025040700 and the currently available version is 2025041100. Is it correct that I need to apply the update package?

bastian_42

Yes, I have the option to enter the recovery mode. Tere is a option to load a update with adb. Is there any thing to take note of?

raccoondad

bastian_42 I would do so via sideloading and see what happens

bastian_42

raccoondad
I just performed the Update resulted in a error with the following Log

Supportesd API: 3
Finding Update package...
Verifing update package...
Update package verification took 81.8 s (result 0).
Installing update...
Error applying update: 1 (ErrorCode::kError)
ERROR: recovery: Error in /sideload/package.zip (status 1)

Install from ADB completed with status 1.
Installation aborted.

Any other Idears?

geni101

bastian_42 That error code normally means corrupted .zip file or wrong version.
Have you tried just leaving it on charge for a good hour or so?

bastian_42

geni101 the initial issue appeared while the phone was loading. I just tried to pause the bootloop by enter the recovery mode, charge it for two houers and afterwards I rebooted from recovery mode with no effect. I am still faceing the discrped bootloop.

de0u

bastian_42 Has a safe-mode boot been tried?

Had anything unusual happened before the boot loop?

geni101

bastian_42 another idea is to hold your finger on the power button as long as possible ( like a few mins if you can).

bastian_42

de0u after hitting the volume down button as disciped it didnot enter to save mode. I end up in the menue where I can select the revovery mode.

bastian_42

geni101 I tryed this for about 10 minutes, with no efect.

de0u

bastian_42 The timing is a little tricky. It sounds as if you might try pressing the volume-down button a little later.

bastian_42

de0u I tryed around with the timing. In some videos discriped the timing that you have to wait for the animated logo I did not get so far. It interrupts the boot directly after the static google logo.
are there any other ways to recover the phone? Or do I need to reset?

de0u

bastian_42 It is rare for a device to reject an OTA sideload. Was the OTA image (not the factory image) used? Can you provide not only the failure output but also the command line used including the filename?

If it is not possible to replace the system partition via OTA, and it is not possible to boot into safe mode, unfortunately the next step is probably a factory reset.

bastian_42

de0u I used the following sources:
Guide, the stable update zip for the 6a
I checked for the device state with the following comand.
adb devices
after that I started the sideload
adb sideload bluejay-ota_update-2025041100.zip

geni101

de0u doesn't the phone need to have USB debugging on to this though??

de0u

bastian_42 Then I'm afraid your next move may be a factory reset from Recovery.

de0u

geni101 doesn't the phone need to have USB debugging on to this though??

For what?

I recommend referring to the directions on the GrapheneOS web site. I believe that neither the installation instructions nor the OTA instructions mention requiring USB debugging. USB debugging is designed for connecting a debugger to an Android device.

Edit: The OTA instructions explictly say that USB debugging is not needed. Overall the notion that doing anything "serious" with an Android device requires USB debugging is a misconception.

geni101

de0u For what?

Side loading updates

geni101

de0u Ah apoligies, I had read that on your last post but wasn't sure if you where just asking me this question > de0u For what? or answering it too for something else.
Again apologise I got confused. But that answers that then.

bastian_42

de0u I just tryed to factory reset the device via the recovery menu. This resulted in an error:
--Wiping data... Error: recovery: Failed to recive number of sectors from init, system_a, /dev/block/dm-1,/dev/block/dm-2,/dev/block/dm-0 from snapuserd deamon ERROR: recovery: InitDmUserCow failed ERROR: recovery: Could not map dm-user device for partition system_a ERROR: recovery: Unable to map partitions to complete merge. Unable to check merge status and/or complete update merge. Unable to check merge status or complete merge, cannot wipe partitions.

de0u

geni101 Quoting from the GrapheneOS OTA instructions:

You do not need to have adb enabled within the OS or the host's ADB key whitelisted within the OS to sideload an update to recovery. Recovery mode does not trust the attached computer and this can be considered a production feature. Trusting a computer with ADB access within the OS is much different and exposes the device to a huge amount of attack surface and control by the trusted computer.